Shloka 28
प्रजाविसर्ग-तत्त्वनिर्णयः | Cosmogony of Elemental Emergence
Bharadvāja–Bhṛgu Dialogue
न मृत्युसेनामायान्तीं जातु कश्रित् प्रबाधते । ऋते सत्यमसत् त्याज्यं सत्ये हामृतमाश्रितम्,सत्यके बिना कोई भी मनुष्य सामने आते हुए मृत्युकी सेनाका कभी सामना नहीं कर सकता; इसलिये असत्यको त्याग देना चाहिये। क्योंकि अमृतत्व सत्यमें ही स्थित है
na mṛtyusenām āyāntīṁ jātu kaścit prabādhate | ṛte satyam asat tyājyaṁ satye hy amṛtam āśritam ||
Bhishma said: No one can ever withstand the oncoming army of Death. Therefore falsehood must be abandoned; for immortality is grounded only in truth.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Since death is unavoidable and cannot be resisted like an advancing army, one should anchor oneself in satya (truth) and abandon asat (falsehood); truth is presented as the sole basis for amṛtatva—spiritual deathlessness or enduring worth beyond mortality.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he uses the stark image of ‘Death’s army’ to press an ethical conclusion: cultivate truthfulness as the highest refuge.