Shloka 13
Nārada–Vāyu–Śalmali Upākhyāna: Enmity with the Strong and the Primacy of Buddhi (नारद-वायु-शल्मलि उपाख्यानम्)
मोघं ते जीवितं राजन् परिक्लिष्टं च जीवसि । पापायैव हि सृष्टोडसि कर्मणे हि यवीयसे,“राजन! तेरा जीवन व्यर्थ और अत्यन्त क्लेशमय है। तू पापके लिये ही पैदा हुआ है। खोटे कर्मके लिये ही तेरा जन्म हुआ है
moghaṃ te jīvitaṃ rājan parikliṣṭaṃ ca jīvasi | pāpāyaiva hi sṛṣṭo'si karmaṇe hi yavīyase ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô roi, ta vie est vaine, et tu vis dans une profonde affliction. Tu n’as été mis au monde que pour le péché ; en vérité, tu es poussé vers des actes vils.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A life that turns toward pāpa (sinful conduct) becomes mogha—ethically empty and spiritually unproductive. Bhīṣma’s rebuke stresses that one must redirect intention and action (karma) toward dharma; otherwise even continued living is described as mere suffering without higher purpose.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhīṣma speaks as a moral authority, sharply censuring a king’s conduct. The verse functions as a direct ethical reprimand: the ruler’s present way of living is portrayed as afflicted and oriented toward wrongdoing, calling for reform in kingship and personal character.