Shloka 11
Gṛhastha-vṛtti and Niyama: Models of Householder Livelihood and Discipline (गृहस्थवृत्ति-नियमाः)
ज्ञानागमेन कर्माणि कुर्वन् कर्मसु सिध्यति | पज्चेन्द्रियजलां घोरां लोभकूलां सुदुस्तराम्
jñānāgamena karmāṇi kurvan karmasu sidhyati | pañcendriyajalāṃ ghorāṃ lobhakūlāṃ sudustarām | krodhapaṅkāṃ durākrāntāṃ vegāṃ durniyamāṃ nadīm | buddhimān tarati tāṃ nityaṃ kālaṃ paśyann upasthitam ||
Vyāsa dijo: «Quien obra a la luz del verdadero conocimiento alcanza el éxito en la acción. Esta vida mundana es como un río terrible: sus aguas son los cinco sentidos, sus orillas son la codicia y la ira es el fango en su interior. Es sumamente difícil de cruzar y su ímpetu es casi imposible de contener; sin embargo, el sabio lo atraviesa. Manteniéndose siempre vigilante, recuerda que el Tiempo—siempre presto a golpear—está al acecho para sumir a los seres en una profunda ilusión».
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Actions become truly successful when guided by knowledge and discernment. The senses, greed, and anger create a powerful current that drags one into delusion, but wisdom and vigilance—especially awareness of Time’s inevitability—enable one to cross beyond worldly entanglement.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on conduct and liberation, Vyāsa delivers a moral-psychological teaching using a river metaphor: saṃsāra is perilous, driven by the senses and passions, and only the wise who remain alert to the approach of Time can overcome it.