Shloka 17
अध्याय १७८ — प्राणवायुगतिः तथा शारीराग्निव्यवस्था
Adhyāya 178 — The courses of prāṇa-vāyu and the regulation of the bodily fire
नान्तं सर्वविधित्सानां गतपूर्वोडस्ति कश्नन । शरीरे जीविते चैव तृष्णा मन्दस्य वर्धते
nāntaṃ sarvavidhitsānāṃ gatapūrvo 'sti kaścana | śarīre jīvite caiva tṛṣṇā mandasya vardhate ||
Bhishma said: No one has ever reached the end of the countless pursuits driven by the desire to obtain every kind of gain. But attachment and craving for one’s body and even for life itself only grow in the foolish; such thirst does not know satisfaction and therefore keeps expanding.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire for acquisition has no natural endpoint; the foolish person’s craving—especially attachment to body and life—keeps increasing. The ethical lesson is to cultivate discernment and restraint, recognizing that unchecked tṛṣṇā is inherently insatiable.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira. Here he warns against endless acquisitive striving and highlights how ignorance fuels growing attachment to bodily existence.