Shloka 7
कर्कोटक-उपदेशः
Karkoṭaka’s Counsel and Nala’s Concealment
नाकाले विहितो मृत्युर्म्त्यानां पुरुषर्षभ । तत्र कान्ता त्वयोत्सृष्टा मुहूर्तमपि जीवति,“पुरुषशिरोमणे! मनुष्योंकी मृत्यु असमयमें नहीं होती, तभी तो आपकी यह प्रियतमा आपसे परित्यक्त होकर दो घड़ी भी जी रही है
nākāle vihito mṛtyur martyānāṃ puruṣarṣabha | tatra kāntā tvayotsṛṣṭā muhūrtam api jīvati ||
“Wahai banteng di antara manusia, kematian tidak ditetapkan bagi insan sebelum waktunya. Itulah sebabnya kekasihmu, meski engkau tinggalkan di sana, masih bertahan hidup walau sesaat.”
ब॒हृदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse affirms a Mahābhārata theme: life and death unfold according to an appointed order of time (kāla). Ethically, it cautions against using ‘she is still alive’ as justification for neglect—survival may simply mean the destined hour has not yet arrived, so one must still act with responsibility and compassion.
Bṛhadaśva addresses a ‘best of men’ and comments that death does not occur prematurely; therefore the man’s beloved, though left behind by him, continues to live even for a short while. The statement functions as both reassurance about fate and a pointed reminder of the moral seriousness of abandoning someone.