Shloka 11
Sanatsujāta-Āhvāna (Summoning Sanatsujāta) — Vidura’s Invocation and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Doubt
अभिध्या वै प्रथमं हन्ति लोकान् कामक्रोधावनुगृहाशु पश्चात् । एते बालान् मृत्यवे प्रापयन्ति धीरास्तु धैर्येण तरन्ति मृत्युम्,पहले तो विषयोंका चिन्तन ही लोगोंको मारे डालता है। इसके बाद वह काम और क्रोधको साथ लेकर पुनः जल्दी ही प्रहार करता है। इस प्रकार ये विषय-चिन्तन (काम और क्रोध) ही विवेकहीन मनुष्यों-को मृत्युके निकट पहुँचाते हैं; परंतु जो स्थिर बुद्धिवाले पुरुष हैं, वे धैर्यसे मृत्युके पार हो जाते हैं
abhidhyā vai prathamaṃ hanti lokān kāmakrodhāv anugṛhāśu paścāt | ete bālān mṛtyave prāpayanti dhīrās tu dhairyeṇa taranti mṛtyum ||
Sanatsujāta says: “First, brooding desire (fixation on sense-objects) strikes people down. Then, quickly, it attacks again, taking desire and anger as its allies. In this way, this fixation—together with desire and wrath—drives the undiscerning toward death; but the steadfast and wise cross beyond death by firmness and self-control.”
सनत्युजात उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchecked mental fixation on sense-objects (abhidhyā) gives rise to desire and anger, which ruin discernment and lead one toward ‘death’—both moral ruin and bondage. The wise overcome this by dhairya: steady restraint, patience, and inner firmness.
In Udyoga Parva, Sanatsujāta instructs Dhṛtarāṣṭra on spiritual and ethical discipline. Here he diagnoses the inner causes of downfall—brooding, desire, and anger—and contrasts them with the steadfastness of the dhīra who transcends death through self-mastery.