अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः
Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving
न वक्ित् त्राति वै राजन् दिष्टान्तवशमागतम् | सावशेषायुषं चापि कश्रिन्नैवापकर्षति,राजन! मृत्युके वशमें पड़े हुए प्राणीको कोई बचा नहीं सकता और जिसकी आयु शेष है, उसे कोई मार भी नहीं सकता
na kaścit trāti vai rājan diṣṭāntavaśam āgatam | sāvaśeṣāyuṣaṃ cāpi kaścin naivāpakarṣati, rājan ||
രാജാവേ! വിധിയുടെ അധീനതയിൽ എത്തിയ ജീവിയെ ആരും രക്ഷിക്കാനാവില്ല; അതുപോലെ, ഇനിയും ആയുസ്സ് ശേഷിക്കുന്നവന്റെ ജീവകാലം ആരും കുറയ്ക്കാനും കഴിയില്ല.
पराशर उवाच
The verse teaches the inevitability of what is ordained: one cannot rescue a being who has reached destiny’s appointed end, and one cannot prematurely destroy a person whose remaining lifespan is not yet exhausted. It frames death and survival as governed by the allotted term of life rather than mere human effort.
Parāśara addresses a king and offers a consolatory, instructive reflection on mortality: human agency has limits before the ordained course of life and death, so the listener should understand the bounds of control and respond with steadiness and discernment.