Shloka 65
देवतापितृप्रश्नः — Nārada at Badarīāśrama: the ultimate referent of daiva and pitṛ worship
यथा त्वमेव पृष्ठतस्त्वमग्रतो गमिष्यसि । तथा गति गमिष्यत: किमात्मना परेण वा
yathā tvam eva pṛṣṭhatas tvam agrato gamiṣyasi | tathā gatiṃ gamiṣyataḥ kim ātmanā pareṇa vā ||
Vyāsa disse: «Quando deixares o corpo e tomares a estrada para o outro mundo, tu mesmo estarás atrás e tu mesmo estarás à frente—fora de ti não haverá quem caminhe antes ou depois. Em tal passagem, de que te servem “os teus” ou “os alheios”?»
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
At death and in the onward journey, one stands alone: no relative or outsider can accompany, substitute, or share one’s karmic burden. Therefore one should loosen possessiveness and rely on dharma and one’s own conduct rather than on social attachments.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa instructs the listener with a stark image of the solitary journey after leaving the body, using it to argue for detachment from ‘mine’ and ‘not mine’ and for personal responsibility in ethical life.