Shloka 203
Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda
क्षेत्रापणगृहासक्तं मृत्युरादाय गच्छति । वह अपने खेत, दूकान और घरके ही चक््करमें पड़ा रहता है। उनके लिये तरह-तरहके कर्मोमें फँसता है; परंतु उनका फल मिलने भी नहीं पाता कि मौत उसको इस संसारसे उठा ले जाती है
kṣetrāpaṇagṛhāsaktaṃ mṛtyur ādāya gacchati |
Bhishma said: Death carries away the person who remains absorbed in fields, marketplaces, and household concerns. Entangled in countless actions undertaken for their sake, he is taken from the world before he can even obtain their results—showing the fragility of worldly striving and the urgency of right understanding and dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly attachments—especially to property, trade, and household preoccupations—do not guarantee fulfillment; death can intervene before any expected ‘fruit’ arrives. Therefore one should prioritize dharma, inner discipline, and a life oriented to lasting values rather than endless acquisition.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and the conduct of life. Here he offers a reflective warning: a person engrossed in managing land, commerce, and home becomes trapped in many undertakings, yet death abruptly removes him, exposing the uncertainty of worldly plans.