Shloka 42
देवतापितृप्रश्नः — Nārada at Badarīāśrama: the ultimate referent of daiva and pitṛ worship
पुरा शरीरमन्तको भिनत्ति रोगसारथि: । प्रसह्म जीवितक्षये तपो महत् समाचर
purā śarīram antako bhinatti roga-sārathiḥ | prasahya jīvita-kṣaye tapo mahat samācara ||
Vyāsa disse: “Em breve, a Morte—conduzindo a carruagem cujo cocheiro é a doença—despedaçará teu corpo com violência. Portanto, antes que esta vida seja ceifada, pratica uma grande austeridade (tapas), para que o tempo que te resta se volte à disciplina interior e ao bem supremo.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Life is fragile and the body is inevitably overcome by disease and death; therefore one should not delay spiritual discipline. The verse urges timely tapas—serious self-restraint and inner practice—so that the limited span of life is used for dharmic and liberating effort.
Vyāsa admonishes the listener with a vivid image: Death approaches with disease as its charioteer and will soon break the body. On that basis, he counsels immediate undertaking of great austerity, shifting attention from postponement to urgent spiritual practice.