Shloka 105
Śoka-śamana: Kṛṣṇa’s Consolation and Nārada’s Exempla to Sṛñjaya
Chapter 29
शशबिन्दुं चैत्ररथं मृतं शुश्रुम संजय । यस्य भार्यासहसत्राणां शतमासीन्महात्मन:
śaśabinduṁ caitrarathaṁ mṛtaṁ śuśruma sañjaya | yasya bhāryāsahasrāṇāṁ śatam āsīn mahātmanaḥ ||
Vāyu dit : « Ô Sañjaya, nous avons appris que Śaśabindu et Caitraratha sont morts—ces êtres magnanimes dont on dit qu’ils eurent cent mille épouses. Même de tels rois, illustres et puissants, entourés d’une immense prospérité terrestre, n’échappèrent pas à la mort ; aussi ne faut-il s’attacher ni à l’orgueil ni aux possessions, mais réfléchir à l’impermanence qui gouverne toute vie incarnée. »
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even extraordinary worldly power and abundance cannot prevent death; therefore one should cultivate detachment, humility, and dharmic discernment rather than pride in possessions or status.
Vāyudeva addresses Sañjaya and cites the reported deaths of famed figures (Śaśabindu and Caitraratha), using them as exemplars to underscore the inevitability of death and the futility of relying on worldly prosperity.