Shloka 4
Adhyāya 164: Gautama as Guest; Kaśyapa’s Satkāra and the Fourfold Arthagati; Journey to Virūpākṣa
एते प्रमत्तं पुरुषमप्रमत्तास्तुदन्ति च । वृका इव विलुम्पन्ति दृष्टवैव पुरुषं बलात्
ete pramattaṃ puruṣam apramattās tudanti ca | vṛkā iva vilumpanti dṛṣṭvaiva puruṣaṃ balāt |
हे दोष स्वतः सदैव सावध राहून प्रमादात पडलेल्या पुरुषाला छळतात. मनुष्य दिसताच ते लांडग्यांसारखे बलपूर्वक त्याच्यावर तुटून पडून त्याची लूट करतात.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Heedlessness (pramāda) makes a person an easy target for harm and exploitation; therefore one should cultivate constant vigilance and self-restraint (apramāda) as a practical foundation of dharma.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction in the Śānti Parva, he uses a vivid simile: watchful people (or forces) attack the negligent person the way wolves pounce on prey, emphasizing the real-world consequences of carelessness.