Shloka 8
शुकस्य योगसिद्धिः (Śuka’s Yogic Attainment and Ascent)
दिन, रात और महीनोंके जो चक्र चल रहे हैं, वे किसीके टाले नहीं टलते हैं। इसी प्रकार जन्म, मृत्यु और जरा आदिके क्रम प्रायः चलते ही रहते हैं। जिसके जीवनका कुछ ठिकाना नहीं, वह मरणधर्मा मानव कभी दीर्घ-कालके पश्चात् नित्यपथ (मोक्षमार्ग) का आश्रय लेता है ।। सर्वभूतसमुच्छेद: स्रोतसेवोहाुते सदा । ऊहामानं निमज्जन्तमप्लवे कालसागरे
dina-rātra-māsānāṃ yaś cakraṃ pravartate, tat kenāpi na nivāryate; tathā janma-mṛtyu-jarādīnāṃ kramaḥ prāyaḥ pravartata eva. yasya jīvitasya na kiñcid dhruvaṃ sthānaṃ, sa maraṇadharmā mānavaḥ cirakālāt paścān nityapathaṃ (mokṣamārgaṃ) śaraṇaṃ gacchati. sarvabhūtasamucchedaḥ srotasevōhāhūte sadā | ūhamānaṃ nimajjantaṃ aplave kālasāgare ||
Bhishma says: The wheel of days, nights, and months keeps turning and cannot be stopped by anyone. In the same way, the sequence of birth, death, and old age continues almost without pause. Since human life has no fixed certainty, a mortal person—often only after a long time—finally takes refuge in the eternal path, the way of liberation. For time is like a vast ocean without a raft: beings are continually swept along by its current, and even one who struggles and reasons is liable to sink in that sea of Time.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Time’s cycles are unstoppable, and so are birth, aging, and death. Recognizing life’s uncertainty, one should not delay turning toward the enduring goal—moksha—because the current of Time can overwhelm even the thoughtful and striving.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma addresses Yudhishthira with reflective counsel, using the imagery of an unstoppable wheel and an ocean-like Time to urge spiritual urgency and a turn toward the path of liberation.