Shloka 139
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
मृत्यु: क्षुरश्व॒ कृत्यश्व पक्षोडपक्षक्षयंकर: । मेघकालो महादंष्ट: संवर्तकबलाहक:
mṛtyuḥ kṣuraśvaḥ kṛtyaśvaḥ pakṣoḍapakṣakṣayaṃkaraḥ | meghakālo mahādaṃṣṭaḥ saṃvartakabalāhakaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «La Muerte es como un caballo de filo de navaja, como una montura terrible impulsada por el deber; trae la ruina tanto a los alados como a los que no tienen alas. Es la estación de las nubes de tormenta, de grandes colmillos, como la nube del fin del mundo que se reúne en la disolución: imparable, devoradora e imparcial.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Death (as Time) is irresistible and impartial, destroying all beings without distinction; therefore one should live with urgency and clarity, establishing oneself in dharma and right conduct before the inevitable end arrives.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma continues his discourse by portraying Death through powerful metaphors—razor-horse, storm-season, and the world-ending cloud—emphasizing the overwhelming, consuming nature of Kāla that overtakes every creature.