Shloka 16
अव्यक्त–प्रकृति–इन्द्रियविचारः
The Unmanifest, Prakṛtis, and the Sense-Complex
संघातवन्मर्त्यलोक: परस्परमपाश्रित: । कदलीगर्भनि:सारो नौरिवाप्सु निमज्जति
saṅghātavan martyalokaḥ parasparam apāśritaḥ | kadalīgarbhaniḥsāro naur ivāpsu nimajjati ||
Parāśara said: “This mortal world is like a composite body: its parts depend upon one another. In the same way, the whole aggregate of worldly relations—wife, children, cattle, and the like—rests upon mutual support. Yet this saṃsāra is hollow and without essence, like the pith within a banana plant; and, like a boat sinking in water, everything here is submerged in the onward flow of Time.”
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly life is mutually dependent and tightly interlinked, yet ultimately insubstantial and impermanent; everything is carried away and submerged by Time, so one should cultivate detachment and discernment.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and liberation, the sage Parāśara speaks, using vivid metaphors (a hollow banana pith and a sinking boat) to warn against overreliance on worldly ties and to emphasize the overpowering movement of Time.