Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 10
अव्यक्त-मानस-सृष्टिवादः
Doctrine of Creation from the Unmanifest ‘Mānasa’
कि नु मुहासि मूढस्त्वं शोच्य: किमनुशोचसि । यदा त्वामपि शोचन्त: शोच्या यास्यन्ति तां गतिम्
kiṁ nu muhāsi mūḍhas tvaṁ śocyaḥ kim anuśocasi | yadā tvām api śocantaḥ śocyā yāsyanti tāṁ gatim ||
Bhishma dit : «Pourquoi, ô roi, tombes-tu dans l’illusion comme un insensé ? Toi-même es digne de lamentation ; pourquoi donc te lamenter pour autrui ? Car viendra un jour où ces mêmes gens, eux aussi pitoyables, pleureront même sur toi, et, en pleurant, iront vers cette même fin.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma rebukes delusive grief: since all beings are mortal and subject to the same end, lamentation for others is inconsistent—especially when one’s own condition is equally ‘lamentable.’ The ethical thrust is toward clear-sightedness, acceptance of impermanence, and steadiness of mind.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) after the war. Here he challenges the king’s sorrow and confusion, pointing out that time brings the same fate to all, and that even those who mourn today will themselves pass away.