Shloka 17
Gṛhastha-vṛtti and Niyama: Models of Householder Livelihood and Discipline (गृहस्थवृत्ति-नियमाः)
युगहदौघमध्येन ब्रह्मप्रायभवेन च । धात्रा सृष्टानि भूतानि कृष्यन्ते यमसादनम्
yugahradau ghamadhyena brahmaprāyabhavena ca | dhātrā sṛṣṭāni bhūtāni kṛṣyante yamasādanam ||
Dijo Vyāsa: En medio del gran torrente, cuyas orillas son los yugas y cuyo origen es Brahman, todos los seres creados por el Ordenador están siendo arrastrados hacia la morada de Yama.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Time is portrayed as a vast, unstoppable flood originating in the cosmic principle (Brahman), carrying all created beings toward death (Yama’s realm). The ethical implication is to prioritize dharma and the pursuit of mokṣa, since worldly aims cannot resist the current of kāla.
Vyāsa is instructing the listener within the Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse. He uses a compressed image—beings being pulled through a cosmic torrent—to emphasize the inevitability of mortality and the need for spiritual and moral grounding.