Shloka 16
Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse
बलहीनाश्न कौन्तेय यथा जाल॑ गता झषा: । वधं गच्छन्ति राजेन्द्र योगास्तद्वत् सुदुर्बला:
balahīnāśnau kaunteya yathā jāla-gatā jhaṣāḥ | vadhaṁ gacchanti rājendra yogās tadvat sudurbalāḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai putera Kunti, wahai raja agung, sebagaimana ikan yang lemah apabila terperangkap dalam jaring akan menuju kepada penyembelihan, demikian juga nasib manusia yang sama sekali tiada kekuatan yoga.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Spiritual practice must be supported by real inner strength—steadiness, self-control, and resolve. If one’s ‘yoga’ is weak (lacking discipline and power), it cannot protect the practitioner; instead, one becomes vulnerable to downfall, like fish trapped in a net.
In the Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and right conduct. Here he uses a vivid analogy—weak fish caught in a net—to warn that practices or vows undertaken without sufficient inner power and firmness lead to harm rather than liberation.