Shloka 47
Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma
Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins
भीष्म उवाच ततो<5पश्यत् स काम॑ च क्रोधं लोभं भयं मदम् | निद्रां तन्द्रीं तथा55लस्यमावृत्य पुरुषान् स्थितान्
bhīṣma uvāca tato 'paśyat sa kāmaṁ ca krodhaṁ lobhaṁ bhayaṁ madam | nidrāṁ tandrīṁ tathā ālasyaṁ āvṛtya puruṣān sthitān |
Bhīṣma dijo: Entonces vio el deseo, la ira, la codicia, el miedo y la embriaguez; y también el sueño, la somnolencia y la pereza: todo ello cubriendo a los hombres mientras permanecían en la vida, oscureciendo su discernimiento y atándolos a una conducta nociva.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how powerful inner forces—desire, anger, greed, fear, and intoxication/pride—along with dullness (sleep, drowsiness, sloth), veil human clarity. Ethically, it warns that unchecked mental afflictions ‘cover’ a person’s better judgment, making dharmic action difficult; therefore vigilance and self-discipline are implied remedies.
Bhīṣma describes a perception or observation: he ‘sees’ various passions and forms of inertia enveloping human beings. The scene is not a physical battle but a moral-psychological diagnosis, portraying these tendencies as pervasive forces that stand over and obscure people in ordinary life.