Shloka 48
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
अवबुध्यात्मना55त्मानं सत्त्वं शीलं श्रुतं दमम् । अनुक्रोशं च संस्मृत्य त्यज वासमिमं द्विज
avabudhyātmanātmānaṃ sattvaṃ śīlaṃ śrutaṃ damam | anukrośaṃ ca saṃsmṛtya tyaja vāsam imaṃ dvija ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Réveille-toi à ton vrai soi par l’intelligence intérieure. Souviens-toi des vertus qui conviennent au “deux fois né” : bonté ferme, conduite noble, science sacrée, maîtrise de soi et compassion ; et, les gardant en mémoire, quitte cette demeure, ô brahmane.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma urges ethical self-recollection: true understanding of oneself should revive the virtues expected of a dvija—purity (sattva), good character (śīla), scriptural learning (śruta), restraint (dama), and compassion (anukrośa). With these restored, one should renounce an unworthy attachment—symbolized by ‘this dwelling’—and act in accordance with dharma.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhīṣma addresses a dvija and admonishes him to ‘wake up’ to his real identity and obligations. The verse functions as a moral corrective: remembering one’s learned and vowed standards, the addressee is told to abandon the present residence—implying departure from a compromised situation or attachment inconsistent with dharmic conduct.