Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 10
अव्यक्त-मानस-सृष्टिवादः
Doctrine of Creation from the Unmanifest ‘Mānasa’
कि नु मुहासि मूढस्त्वं शोच्य: किमनुशोचसि । यदा त्वामपि शोचन्त: शोच्या यास्यन्ति तां गतिम्
kiṁ nu muhāsi mūḍhas tvaṁ śocyaḥ kim anuśocasi | yadā tvām api śocantaḥ śocyā yāsyanti tāṁ gatim ||
Bhishma said: “Why, O king, do you fall into delusion like a fool? You yourself are an object of lament—so why do you lament for others? For a day will come when those very people, themselves pitiable, will mourn even for you, and while mourning will go to that same end.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma rebukes delusive grief: since all beings are mortal and subject to the same end, lamentation for others is inconsistent—especially when one’s own condition is equally ‘lamentable.’ The ethical thrust is toward clear-sightedness, acceptance of impermanence, and steadiness of mind.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) after the war. Here he challenges the king’s sorrow and confusion, pointing out that time brings the same fate to all, and that even those who mourn today will themselves pass away.