Shloka 139
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
मृत्यु: क्षुरश्व॒ कृत्यश्व पक्षोडपक्षक्षयंकर: । मेघकालो महादंष्ट: संवर्तकबलाहक:
mṛtyuḥ kṣuraśvaḥ kṛtyaśvaḥ pakṣoḍapakṣakṣayaṃkaraḥ | meghakālo mahādaṃṣṭaḥ saṃvartakabalāhakaḥ ||
ビーシュマは言った。「死は剃刀の刃のごとく鋭い馬、また義務に駆られて突き進む恐るべき駿馬のようである。翼あるものも翼なきものも、ともに滅びへと追いやる。死は嵐雲の季節、巨大な牙を備え、宇宙の解体に際して集まる劫末の雲のごとし—抗しがたく、呑み尽くし、偏りがない。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Death (as Time) is irresistible and impartial, destroying all beings without distinction; therefore one should live with urgency and clarity, establishing oneself in dharma and right conduct before the inevitable end arrives.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma continues his discourse by portraying Death through powerful metaphors—razor-horse, storm-season, and the world-ending cloud—emphasizing the overwhelming, consuming nature of Kāla that overtakes every creature.