Shloka 5
नरनारायण-नारदसंवादः
Nara-Nārāyaṇa–Nārada Discourse on Vision, Elements, and Entry into Vāsudeva
स्रवन्ति न निवर्तन्ते स्रोतांसि सरितामिव । आयुरादाय मर्त्यानां रात्यहानि पुनः पुन:
sravanti na nivartante srotāṃsi saritām iva | āyur ādāya martyānāṃ rātry-ahāni punaḥ punaḥ ||
Nārada berkata: “Seperti arus sungai yang mengalir ke hadapan dan tidak pernah berpatah balik, demikianlah malam dan siang datang dan berlalu berulang-ulang—setiap kali merampas sebahagian usia manusia.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Time is irreversible: like a river’s current, it never returns. Therefore one should not waste life in heedlessness; night and day continually diminish one’s remaining lifespan, urging timely practice of dharma and inner discipline.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and right living, Nārada delivers a reflective warning using a natural metaphor: the unreturning flow of rivers illustrates how days and nights repeatedly pass, steadily taking away human life.