Shloka 10
Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda
यदाहमेव जानामि न मृत्युस्तिष्ठतीति ह । सोऊहं कथं प्रतीक्षिष्ये ज्ञानेनापिहितश्षरन्
yad aham eva jānāmi na mṛtyus tiṣṭhatīti ha | so 'haṁ kathaṁ pratīkṣiṣye jñānenāpihitaḥ śaran ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Puisque je sais avec certitude que la Mort ne s’arrête pas—qu’elle ne suspend sa marche à l’ordre de personne—comment pourrais-je différer ne fût-ce qu’un instant la quête de mon bien suprême, alors que je vais et viens sans protection, non couvert de l’armure de la vraie connaissance ?»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Death does not pause for anyone; therefore one should not postpone one’s spiritual welfare. The verse urges immediate effort toward the highest good, especially the acquisition of true knowledge as one’s protection.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs on dharma and the path of well-being. Here he emphasizes the urgency of practice: knowing mortality is relentless, he rejects delay in undertaking what leads to lasting good.