Shloka 8
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
इह पुंसां सहस््राणि स्त्रीसहस्नाणि चैव ह | समानीतानि कालेन हित्वा वै यान्ति बान्धवा:,उनके रोनेके शब्दसे आकृष्ट होकर एक गीध वहाँ आया और इस प्रकार कहने लगा --'मनुष्यो! इस जगत्में अपने इस इकलौते पुत्रको यहाँ छोड़कर लौट जाओ, देर मत करो। यहाँ हजारों स्त्री-पुरुष कालके द्वारा लाये जा चुके हैं और उन सबको उनके भाई- बन्धु छोड़कर चले जाते हैं
iha puṁsāṁ sahasrāṇi strī-sahasrāṇi caiva ha | samānītāni kālena hitvā vai yānti bāndhavāḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Di dunia ini, ribuan laki-laki dan ribuan perempuan sungguh-sungguh dihimpunkan oleh Kala (Maut). Lalu para kerabat meninggalkan mereka dan pergi. Demikianlah hukum kehidupan fana.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the inevitability of death and separation: Time (Kāla) brings countless beings to their end, and even close relatives must eventually leave. The ethical thrust is to cultivate steadiness and discernment in the face of grief, recognizing impermanence as a universal law.
Within Bhishma’s instruction in the Shanti Parva, this line functions as a consolatory reflection: it generalizes a scene of loss by stating that innumerable men and women have been taken by Time, and their kin inevitably depart after leaving them—highlighting the common human condition of bereavement.