Shloka 19
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
आदित्यो<यं स्थितो मूढ़ा: स्नेह कुरुत मा भयम् । बहुरूपो मुहूर्तश्ष जीवेदपि कदाचन
ādityo ’yaṃ sthito mūḍhāḥ snehaṃ kuruta mā bhayam | bahurūpo muhūrtaś ca jīved api kadācana ||
Bhishma said: “The sun has not yet set, you foolish ones—do not be afraid. Show affection and care to the child. Time brings many kinds of moments; it may happen that in some auspicious instant the boy will live again.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not surrender to fear or despair prematurely; while time remains, respond with compassion and steady care. The verse frames time (muhūrta) as variable and potentially auspicious, encouraging hopeful, ethical action rather than panic.
Bhīṣma rebukes those who are frightened and grief-stricken, pointing out that the day is not yet over (the sun still stands). He urges them to show affection to the child and to hold hope that, in some favorable moment, the child may yet revive.