Shloka 45
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
यौवनस्थांश्व बालांश्व वृद्धान् गर्भगतानपि । सर्वानाविशते मृत्युरेवंभूतमिदं जगत्,यह कराल काल युवा, बालक, वृद्ध और गर्भस्थ शिशु--सबमें प्रवेश करता है। इस संसारकी ऐसी ही दशा है
yauvanasthāṁś ca bālāṁś ca vṛddhān garbhagatān api | sarvān āviśate mṛtyur evaṁbhūtam idaṁ jagat ||
Bhishma said: “Death enters into all—those in youth, the young, the aged, and even those still in the womb. Such is the condition of this world: time is fearsome and spares none.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Death is universal and impartial: it reaches the unborn, the young, the mature, and the old alike. The ethical implication is urgency in practicing dharma and cultivating detachment, since life’s duration is uncertain.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhishma underscores the inescapability of death and the fearsome nature of time, using it as a reflective teaching to orient the listener toward righteous living and inner steadiness.