Shloka 12
Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda
पुष्पाणीव विचिन्वन्तमन्यत्र गतमानसम् | अनवाप्तेषु कामेषु मृत्युरभ्येति मानवम्
puṣpāṇīva vicinvantam anyatra gatamānasam | anavāpteṣu kāmeṣu mṛtyur abhyeti mānavam ||
Bhīṣma dit : «De même qu’un homme, absorbé à cueillir des fleurs, garde l’esprit ailleurs et ne voit pas le danger, ainsi la Mort fond soudain sur l’être humain tandis que ses désirs ne sont pas encore accomplis, et le saisit avant qu’il n’achève ce qu’il convoite.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Death can arrive unexpectedly while one is distracted and still chasing unfulfilled desires; therefore one should not postpone dharma and self-discipline, and should cultivate awareness and detachment from endless craving.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction in the Śānti Parva, he uses a vivid simile: a person picking flowers with a wandering mind is suddenly attacked; likewise, a human being absorbed in sense-objects is overtaken by death before desires are fulfilled.