Shloka 14
Prahlāda–Indra Saṃvāda: Kartṛtva (Agency) and Svabhāva (Nature) in the Causation of Karma
प्रकीर्णमेष भारं हि यद्वद् धार्येत दस्युभि: । प्रतिलोमां दिशं बुद्ध्वा संसारमबुधास्तथा
prakīrṇam eṣa bhāraṃ hi yadvat dhāryeta dasyubhiḥ | pratilomāṃ diśaṃ buddhvā saṃsāram abudhās tathā ||
ビーシュマは言った。「盗賊が羊を殺し、その荷を肩に担いで逃げるあいだは、四方から捕らえられることを恐れて怯え続ける。だが道が不利だと悟り、肩の荷を投げ捨てれば、望む方角へ安らかに進める。同じく、無知なる者は世俗の行為という重荷を負うかぎり、あらゆる方角から恐れに取り囲まれる。だがそれを捨てるとき、平安に与るのである。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly engagement, when clung to as a personal burden, breeds pervasive fear and insecurity; recognizing its adverse consequences and relinquishing attachment to it leads to inner peace (śānti).
Bhishma uses a vivid analogy: robbers flee with a stolen carcass, fearing capture from all sides, until they drop the load and escape safely. He applies this to ordinary people who carry the ‘burden’ of samsaric action and anxiety until they abandon it and attain peace.