Shloka 116
अहन्यहनि भूतानि गच्छन्तीह यमालयम् | शेषा: स्थावरमिच्छन्ति किमाश्चर्यमत: परम्,संसारसे रोज-रोज प्राणी यमलोकमें जा रहे हैं; किंतु जो बचे हुए हैं, वे सर्वदा जीते रहनेकी इच्छा करते हैं; इससे बढ़कर आश्चर्य और क्या होगा?
ahany ahani bhūtāni gacchantīha yamālayam | śeṣāḥ sthāvaram icchanti kim āścaryam ataḥ param ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: 'Day after day, beings depart from this world to Yama’s abode. Yet those who remain behind still long to be permanent and to go on living. What could be more astonishing than this?'
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological paradox: although death is witnessed daily, people still cling to the expectation of lasting life. It urges humility, realism about impermanence, and a dharmic orientation that prepares the mind for loss and change.
In the Vana Parva’s Yakṣa-prashna context, Yudhiṣṭhira answers a probing question about what is most astonishing in the world. He points to the everyday visibility of death contrasted with the survivors’ persistent desire for permanence.