Shloka 203

Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda

Devanagari script

क्षेत्रापणगृहासक्तं मृत्युरादाय गच्छति । वह अपने खेत

Transliteration

kṣetrāpaṇagṛhāsaktaṃ mṛtyur ādāya gacchati |

Translation

ଯେ ଖେତ, ହାଟ-ବଜାର ଓ ଘରକାମରେ ଆସକ୍ତ ରହେ, ମୃତ୍ୟୁ ତାକୁ ଉଠାଇ ନେଇଯାଏ। ସେମାନଙ୍କ ପାଇଁ ସେ ନାନା କର୍ମରେ ଫସିଯାଏ; କିନ୍ତୁ ଫଳ ପାଇବା ପୂର୍ବରୁ ମୃତ୍ୟୁ ତାକୁ ଏହି ସଂସାରରୁ ଛିନି ନେଇଯାଏ।

Word by Word

• क्षेत्रापणगृहासक्तम्: attached to field, shop, and house
• क्षेत्रापणगृहासक्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षेत्र-अपण-गृह-आसक्त
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• मृत्युः: death
• मृत्युः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• आदाय: having taken (away)
• आदाय: Karma
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + दा
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund)

• गच्छति: goes
• गच्छति: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम्
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Death (Mṛtyu)
• field (kṣetra)
• market/shop (āpaṇa)
• house/home (gṛha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Worldly attachments—especially to property, trade, and household preoccupations—do not guarantee fulfillment; death can intervene before any expected ‘fruit’ arrives. Therefore one should prioritize dharma, inner discipline, and a life oriented to lasting values rather than endless acquisition.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and the conduct of life. Here he offers a reflective warning: a person engrossed in managing land, commerce, and home becomes trapped in many undertakings, yet death abruptly removes him, exposing the uncertainty of worldly plans.