Shloka 20
Gṛhastha-vṛtti and Niyama: Models of Householder Livelihood and Discipline (गृहस्थवृत्ति-नियमाः)
संशयं स तु कामात्मा चलचित्तोडल्पचेतन: । अप्राज्ञो न तरत्येनं यो हवास्ते न स गच्छति
saṁśayaṁ sa tu kāmātmā calacitto 'lpacetanaḥ | aprājño na taraty enaṁ yo ha vāste na sa gacchati ||
Disse Vyāsa: O homem movido pelo desejo—de mente inquieta, entendimento escasso e sem verdadeiro discernimento—cai na dúvida e, por isso, não consegue atravessar este rio do Tempo. E aquele que apenas se senta, tendo perdido a vontade de se esforçar, tampouco alcança a outra margem.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire-driven restlessness breeds doubt, and doubt prevents one from overcoming the great obstacle of Time (mortality and worldly flux). Equally, giving up effort and merely remaining inert cannot lead to the goal. Steadiness of mind and purposeful striving are required for progress in dharma.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa delivers a moral instruction using the image of a formidable river—identified in the surrounding tradition as the ‘river of Time.’ He contrasts two failures: the confused, craving person who cannot cross due to doubt, and the person who stops striving altogether, who also cannot reach the far shore.