Shloka 4
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving
Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum
भीष्म उवाच समृद्धौ वासमृद्धौँ वा शुभे वा यदि वाशुभे । संसारेडस्मिन् समायाता: प्राणिन: पृथिवीपते
bhīṣma uvāca
samṛddhau vā asamṛddhau vā śubhe vā yadi vā aśubhe |
saṃsāre 'smin samāyātāḥ prāṇinaḥ pṛthivīpate ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô seigneur de la terre, les êtres entrés dans ce cycle du monde s’attachent à leur condition—qu’elle soit prospère ou dénuée, faste ou néfaste—et s’y cramponnent comme à un “bonheur”. Ils ne veulent pas mourir. J’en exposerai la raison : écoute.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma points to a basic human tendency: beings cling to life in every condition—good or bad—treating their present state as worth holding onto. This sets up an ethical reflection on attachment (āsakti) and the delusion that worldly states themselves constitute true happiness.
In the Anushasana Parva, Yudhisthira questions Bhishma about human conduct and inner motives. Here Bhishma begins an explanation of why living beings do not wish to die, addressing Yudhisthira as ‘lord of the earth’ and introducing a teaching about life in saṃsāra.