Shloka 3
भगवन् किमिदं श्रेय: प्रेत्य चापीह वा भवेत् । पुरुषस्याध्रुवे देहे कामस्य वशवर्तिन:,“भगवन्! इस क्षणभंगुर शरीरमें कामके अधीन होकर रहनेवाले पुरुषका इस लोक और परलोकमें किस उपायसे कल्याण हो सकता है?
bhagavan kim idaṃ śreyaḥ pretya cāpīha vā bhavet | puruṣasyādhruve dehe kāmasya vaśavartinaḥ ||
ビーシュマは言った。「尊き御方よ、無常の身に宿り、欲望の支配下に生きる人にとって、この世においても死後においても、真の安寧へ導く道とは何でありましょうか。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral problem: when a person is ruled by kāma (desire) while living in an impermanent body, what discipline or path can secure śreyas—genuine welfare—both in this life and after death. It sets up the need for self-mastery and dharmic guidance rather than impulse-driven living.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Bhīṣma addresses a revered teacher (‘Bhagavān’) and asks for instruction on the means of attaining well-being in both worlds for those dominated by desire, introducing a didactic discussion on conduct, restraint, and the pursuit of the highest good.