Shloka 12
Gṛhastha-vṛtti and Niyama: Models of Householder Livelihood and Discipline (गृहस्थवृत्ति-नियमाः)
मन्युपड्कामनाधृष्यां नदीं तरति बुद्धिमान । कालमभ्युद्यतं पश्येन्नित्यमत्यन्तमोहनम्
manyupaṅkām anādhṛṣyāṁ nadīṁ tarati buddhimān | kālam abhyudyataṁ paśyen nityam atyantamohanam ||
Vyāsa dit : « Le sage traverse le fleuve dont la vase est la colère et dont le courant est difficile à soutenir. Qu’il garde sans cesse à l’esprit que le Temps — toujours prêt à frapper — ne cesse de jeter les êtres dans une illusion profonde. »
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Anger is portrayed as the mire that traps beings in the dangerous river of worldly existence; only discernment and steady vigilance enable one to cross. One must also remember that Time/Death is always advancing, so delay in ethical discipline is perilous.
In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa delivers a compact moral instruction using a metaphor: saṁsāra is a formidable river, anger its mud, and Time an ever-ready assailant. The verse urges constant awareness and inner mastery rather than complacency.