Shloka 13
शुकस्य योगसिद्धिः (Śuka’s Yogic Attainment and Ascent)
एवं भूतेषु भूतात्मा नित्यभूतो<च्रुवेषु च । कथं हि हृष्येज्जातेषु मृतेषु च कथं ज्वरेत्
evaṁ bhūteṣu bhūtātmā nityabhūto 'dhruveṣu ca | kathaṁ hi hṛṣyej jāteṣu mṛteṣu ca kathaṁ jvaret ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Puisque tous les êtres incarnés sont périssables, comment le Soi éternel qui demeure en eux pourrait-il se réjouir à bon droit lorsqu’ils naissent, et pourquoi brûlerait-il de chagrin lorsqu’ils meurent ? Les sages, voyant l’instabilité des conditions mondaines et la continuité du Soi intérieur, ne laissent pas la joie et la peine naître de la naissance et de la mort.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The indwelling Self is eternal, while embodied beings and their conditions are impermanent; therefore one should not be carried away by elation at birth or grief at death, cultivating steadiness through discernment.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on peace and right conduct, Bhishma continues advising the listener on wisdom and emotional restraint, framing birth and death as events in the perishable realm that should not disturb one who understands the Self.