Shloka 9
मृत्योर्ब्रह्मणा नियोजनम् — The Commissioning of Mṛtyu by Brahmā
आपूर्यमाणमचलप्रतिष्ठं समुद्रमाप: प्रविशन्ति यद्धत् । तद्वत् कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे स शान्तिमाप्नोति न कामकाम:
āpūryamāṇam acala-pratiṣṭhaṁ samudram āpaḥ praviśanti yadvat | tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśanti sarve sa śāntim āpnoti na kāma-kāmaḥ ||
Just as waters from many rivers enter the ocean—ever being filled, yet firmly established and unmoved—so too all objects of desire enter a person without producing disturbance or inner alteration. Such a one attains true peace; not the one who hungers after pleasures.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Peace is attained by inner steadiness: when pleasures and desires arise or present themselves, they are allowed to ‘enter’ without agitating the mind. The craving-driven person (kāma-kāmaḥ) remains restless, but the self-possessed person, like the ocean, stays full and unmoved.
Vyāsa delivers a didactic instruction in the Śānti Parva, using a vivid simile: rivers flow into the ocean without disturbing it. Likewise, the wise person remains stable even amid many enjoyments, illustrating the ethical ideal of restraint and non-attachment.