Shloka 18
प्रजाविसर्ग-तत्त्वनिर्णयः | Cosmogony of Elemental Emergence
Bharadvāja–Bhṛgu Dialogue
त॑ पुत्रपशुसम्पन्नं व्यासक्तमनसं नरम् । सुप्तं व्याप्रो मृगमिव मृत्युरादाय गच्छति
taṁ putrapaśusampannaṁ vyāsaktamanasaṁ naram | suptaṁ vyāghro mṛgam iva mṛtyur ādāya gacchati ||
La mort emporte cet homme —riche de fils et de bétail, mais l’esprit étroitement attaché à eux— comme le tigre emporte le cerf endormi.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Death is inevitable and impartial: even a prosperous householder with sons and cattle is carried away if he remains mentally entangled and spiritually 'asleep.' The verse urges vigilance (apramāda) and inner detachment so that one does not rely on worldly supports as security.
In Bhishma’s instruction in the Shanti Parva, he uses a vivid simile: as a tiger snatches a sleeping deer, so Death suddenly seizes a man absorbed in family and possessions. The image underscores suddenness and helplessness when one lives in heedlessness.