Shloka 22
Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse
दुर्बलश्ष यथा राजन् स्रोतसा हियते नर: । बलहीनस्तथा योगो विषयैह्ियतेडवश:,राजन! जैसे दुर्बल मनुष्य पानीके वेगसे बह जाता है, उसी तरह दुर्बल योगी विवश होकर विषयोंकी ओर खिंच जाता है
durbalaś ca yathā rājan srotasā hriyate naraḥ | balahīnas tathā yogo viṣayair hriyate 'vaśaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai raja, sebagaimana orang yang lemah dihanyutkan oleh derasnya arus, demikian juga amalan yoga yang tidak berdaya akan ditarik tanpa upaya ke arah objek-objek indera.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Yoga or spiritual discipline must be supported by inner strength—steadfastness, restraint, and resolve. Without that strength, one is involuntarily pulled toward sense-pleasures, just as a weak person is swept away by a river’s current.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to the king, Bhishma uses a vivid simile—being carried by a current—to warn that a practitioner who is not firm in discipline will be drawn back into worldly objects and distractions.