Shloka 41
Adhyātma–Adhibhūta–Adhidaivata Correspondences and the Triguṇa Lakṣaṇas (Śānti-parva 301)
विषयाणां च दौरात्म्यं विज्ञाय नृपते पुनः । गतासूनां च कौन्तेय देहान् दृष्टवा तथाशुभान्
viṣayāṇāṃ ca daurātmyaṃ vijñāya nṛpate punaḥ | gatāsūnāṃ ca kaunteya dehān dṛṣṭvā tathāśubhān ||
Bhishma dit : «Ô roi, après avoir compris de nouveau la nature corruptrice et nuisible des objets des sens—le son, le toucher et les autres—et, ô fils de Kuntî, après avoir aussi contemplé les corps des hommes lorsque la vie les a quittés, combien ils deviennent funestes et répugnants, que cette clairvoyance détourne ton esprit de l’attachement. Sache que ce que l’on poursuit comme plaisir s’achève en souffrance et en déchéance ; cherche donc le bien suprême.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sense-objects (sound, touch, etc.) are intrinsically unreliable and lead to suffering; contemplating the repulsive decay of the body after death strengthens dispassion and supports a dharmic turn toward higher aims rather than sensual attachment.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma urges the king to reflect on two realities—how sense pleasures corrupt and how the body becomes inauspicious after death—so that Yudhishthira may cultivate detachment and govern and live with clearer ethical priorities.