Shloka 36
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
बाणवेधे परं यत्नमकरोच्चैव गौतम: । चक्राड्रानू स च नित्यं वै सर्वतो वनगोचरान्
bāṇavedhe paraṃ yatnam akaroc caiva gautamaḥ | cakrāḍrānū sa ca nityaṃ vai sarvato vanagocarān |
Bhīṣma dijo: «Gautama se esforzó con intensidad en la práctica del arco, procurando la excelencia al acertar en el blanco. Luego, vagando cada día por el bosque en todas direcciones como un salteador, se entregó a la caza—haciéndose diestro en la violencia, falto de compasión y siempre dispuesto a arrebatar la vida a las criaturas.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage contrasts disciplined skill (archery practice) with its ethical misuse: when ability is driven by cruelty and lack of compassion, it becomes a vehicle for adharma. It implicitly warns that technical excellence must be guided by restraint and mercy.
Bhīṣma describes a man named Gautama who trains hard in marksmanship and then habitually roams the forest hunting, behaving like a bandit—skilled in harming living beings and constantly seeking opportunities to kill.