Shloka 14
Adhyāya 249 — Mṛtyu-prādurbhāvaḥ (The Manifestation of Death) / Restraint of Tejas and Ordered Saṃhāra
अव्यक्तप्रभवां शीघ्रां दुस्तरामकृतात्मभि: । प्रतरस्व नदीं बुद्धया कामग्राहसमाकुलाम्
avyaktaprabhavāṁ śīghrāṁ dustarām akṛtātmabhiḥ | pratarasva nadīṁ buddhyā kāmagrāhasamākulām ||
Vyāsa said: “This river of worldly existence, born of the Unmanifest (Prakṛti), runs swift and is hard to cross for those who have not mastered themselves. Cross this river by means of clear discernment, for it is crowded with the crocodiles of desire.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly life (saṁsāra) is portrayed as a swift, perilous river originating in the Unmanifest (Prakṛti). Those lacking self-control find it hard to cross, but one can cross by buddhi—discriminative understanding—while guarding against desire, depicted as crocodiles that seize and drag one down.
Vyāsa instructs the listener through a vivid metaphor: saṁsāra is a dangerous river. He urges the hearer to ‘cross’ it using disciplined discernment, warning that desire is the chief threat within it.