Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
यौवनस्थांश्व बालांश्व वृद्धान् गर्भगतानपि । सर्वानाविशते मृत्युरेवंभूतमिदं जगत्,यह कराल काल युवा, बालक, वृद्ध और गर्भस्थ शिशु--सबमें प्रवेश करता है। इस संसारकी ऐसी ही दशा है
yauvanasthāṁś ca bālāṁś ca vṛddhān garbhagatān api | sarvān āviśate mṛtyur evaṁbhūtam idaṁ jagat ||
ビーシュマは言った。「死はすべてに入り込む—若者にも、幼子にも、老いた者にも、そして胎内の子にさえ。これがこの世のありさまだ。時は恐るべく、誰ひとり見逃さぬ。」
भीष्म उवाच
Death is universal and impartial: it reaches the unborn, the young, the mature, and the old alike. The ethical implication is urgency in practicing dharma and cultivating detachment, since life’s duration is uncertain.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhishma underscores the inescapability of death and the fearsome nature of time, using it as a reflective teaching to orient the listener toward righteous living and inner steadiness.