Shloka 17
Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse
यथा च शकुना: सूक्ष्मं प्राप्प जालमरिंदम । तत्र सक्ता विपद्यन्ते मुच्यन्ते च बलान्विता:
yathā ca śakunāḥ sūkṣmaṁ prāpya jālam ariṁdama | tatra saktā vipadyante mucyante ca balānvitāḥ ||
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ അരിന്ദമ! പക്ഷികൾ സൂക്ഷ്മമായ വല കണ്ടു അതിൽ കുടുങ്ങിയാൽ നാശത്തിലേക്ക് വീഴും; ശക്തിയുള്ളവർ അതു കീറി മോചിതരായി രക്ഷപ്പെടും।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Entanglement (sakti) in a subtle snare leads to downfall, whereas inner strength—understood as discipline, clarity, and resolve—enables one to break bondage and attain release.
Bhīṣma illustrates his counsel with a simile: birds encounter a fine net; those that become caught perish, but the strong escape—implying that in moral and practical life, subtle traps ensnare the heedless while the steadfast can free themselves.