Shloka 5
Sahadeva on Attachment (mamatā), ‘mameti/na mameti’, and the Middle Path of Conduct
ब्रह्ममृत्यू ततो राजन्नात्मन्येव समाश्रितौ । अदृश्यमानौ भूतानि योधयेतामसंशयम्,राजन! इससे सूचित होता है कि मृत्यु और अमृत-ब्रह्म दोनों अपने ही भीतर स्थित हैं। वे ही अदृश्यभावसे रहकर प्राणियोंको एक-दूसरेसे लड़ाते हैं, इसमें संशय नहीं है
brahmamṛtyū tato rājann ātmany eva samāśritau | adṛśyamānau bhūtāni yodhayetām asaṁśayam ||
Sahadeva berkata: “Maka, wahai Raja, baik Brahman (hakikat yang tidak mati) mahupun Maut bersemayam dalam diri sendiri. Walau tidak kelihatan, keduanya menggerakkan makhluk hidup untuk bertelagah dan berlanggar sesama mereka—tiada keraguan tentang hal itu.”
सहदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the deepest sources of both liberation (Brahman, the deathless) and bondage/mortality (Death) are internal: they ‘reside’ in one’s own self. Human conflict is thus driven by unseen inner principles—ignorance, desire, fear, and their opposites—rather than merely external enemies.
Sahadeva addresses the king and offers a reflective explanation for why beings come into conflict. He frames warfare and mutual hostility as arising from invisible, inwardly rooted forces—Death and the deathless Brahman—operating within living beings.