Shloka 16
उशनसः (शुक्रस्य) चरितम् — The Account of Uśanā (Śukra): Yoga, Grievance, and Pacification
वृत्र बवाच सत्येन तपसा चैव विदित्वासंशयं हाहम् । न शोचामि न हृष्यामि भूतानामागतिं गतिम्
Vṛtra uvāca: satyena tapasā caiva viditvā saṁśayaṁ hāham | na śocāmi na hṛṣyāmi bhūtānām āgatiṁ gatiṁ ||
Vṛtra disse: “Ó brāhmaṇa, pela veracidade e pela disciplina ascética, cheguei a conhecer—sem qualquer dúvida—a lei oculta do vir e do ir dos seres (suas repetidas chegadas e partidas na existência). Por isso, quanto ao seu curso e destino, não me aflijo nem exulto.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True insight into the law of beings’ coming and going (the cycle of embodied existence shaped by karma) leads to equanimity: one should not be tossed between grief and elation. Satya (truthfulness) and tapas (disciplined austerity) are presented as means that mature into such steady knowledge.
Within Bhīṣma’s discourse, a teaching is conveyed through the voice of Vṛtra, who addresses a Brāhmaṇa and declares that he has understood, beyond doubt, the mystery of living beings’ movements in existence; as a result, he remains emotionally even—neither mourning nor celebrating their destinies.