Shloka 7
अध्याय २८६ — पराशर-उपदेशः
Ethical Restraint, Mortality, and Karma
अगाधाश्षाप्रतिष्ठाक्ष॒ गतिमन्तश्ष नारद । अन्धा जडाशक्ष जीवन्ति पश्यास्मानपि जीवत:
agādhāḥ apratiṣṭhāś ca gatimantaś ca nārada | andhā jaḍāś ca jīvanti paśyāsmān api jīvataḥ ||
«Ô Nārada, même ceux qui sont plongés dans une confusion sans fond, sans appui solide et pourtant poussés en avant—bien qu’aveugles et obtus—parviennent encore à vivre en ce monde. Regarde-nous aussi : de la même manière, nous vivons nous aussi.»
समड़ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Mere survival is not proof of wisdom or righteousness: even the blind and dull live on. The verse implicitly urges discernment—one should not take continued life or worldly momentum as a sign of true stability, understanding, or dharmic success.
The speaker addresses the sage Nārada and points to a common worldly fact: people lacking clarity, firm grounding, or insight still continue living. Using this as a comparison, the speaker says, 'Look at us too—we are living in the same way,' conveying a tone of humility, resignation, or critique of merely mechanical existence.