Shloka 23
Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda
जातमेवान्तको<न्ताय जरा चाभ्येति देहिनम्
jātam evāntako 'ntāya jarā cābhyeti dehinam
Bhīṣma disse: «Desde o instante em que um ser nasce, Antaka—a Morte—já caminha para o seu fim; e a velhice também avança sobre o encarnado».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Birth itself initiates an irreversible movement toward death, and aging steadily overtakes the embodied; therefore one should live with ethical urgency, humility, and detachment, recognizing the inevitability of decline and the limits of worldly security.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction, Bhishma continues his counsel by highlighting a universal truth about embodied life—death and old age are not distant possibilities but constant companions from the moment of birth—framing the listener’s mindset for dharmic reflection and right conduct.