Shloka 3
Ākiṃcanya–Tyāga Upadeśa
The Instruction on Non-ownership and Renunciation
स तु सार्थो महान् राजन् कम्मिंश्वचिद् गिरिगह्रे । मत्तेन द्विरदेनाथ निहतः प्रायशो5भवत्,राजन! वैश्योंका वह महान् दल किसी पर्वतकी गुफामें डेरा डाले हुए था। इतनेहीमें एक मतवाले हाथीने उसपर आक्रमण कर दिया। उस दलके अधिकांश मनुष्य उसके द्वारा मारे गये
sa tu sārtho mahān rājan kammiṁśvacid girigahre | mattena dviradenātha nihataḥ prāyaśo 'bhavat, rājan |
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ രാജാവേ! ആ മഹാസാർത്ഥം എവിടെയോ ഒരു പർവതഗുഹയിൽ പാളയമിട്ടിരുന്നു. അപ്പോൾ ഒരു മദോന്മത്ത ഗജം ആക്രമിച്ചു; ഹേ രാജാവേ, ആ ആക്രമണത്തിൽ സാർത്ഥത്തിലെ ഭൂരിഭാഗം പേർ കൊല്ലപ്പെട്ടു।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the vulnerability of worldly undertakings to sudden, uncontrollable forces (here, a rutting elephant), setting up an ethical reflection typical of Shanti Parva: prudent conduct and dharmic foresight are needed because calamity can strike without warning.
A large merchant caravan has taken shelter in a mountain cave. A maddened elephant attacks, and most of the caravan’s people are killed, as Bhishma recounts this incident to the king as part of a larger instructive narrative.