Shloka 17
Sanatsujāta–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Saṃvāda: Pramāda as Mṛtyu
Chapter 42
एकैक: पर्युपास्ते ह मनुष्यान् मनुजर्षभ । लिप्समानोड्तरं तेषां मृगाणामिव लुब्धक:,नरश्रेष्ठ! जैसे व्याध मृगोंको मारनेका छिद्र (अवसर) देखता हुआ उनकी टोहमें लगा रहता है, उसी प्रकार इनमेंसे एक-एक दोष मनुष्योंका छिद्र देखकर उनपर आक्रमण करता है
ekaikaḥ paryupāste ha manuṣyān manujarṣabha | lipsamāno 'ntaraṃ teṣāṃ mṛgāṇām iva lubdhakaḥ ||
Sanatsujāta disse: “Ó touro entre os homens, cada (um desses defeitos) fica à espreita dos seres humanos. Buscando neles uma abertura vulnerável—como o caçador que observa uma brecha para atingir o cervo—cada um ataca quando encontra a ocasião.”
सनत्युजात उवाच
Educational Q&A
One must remain vigilant about inner faults: they do not strike randomly, but watch for a moment of weakness (antara) and then overpower a person—just as a hunter waits for an opening to fell prey.
In Sanatsujāta’s instruction (Sanatsujātīya) within Udyoga Parva, he warns the listener that moral defects actively ‘stalk’ humans, seeking a lapse in awareness or restraint, and then attack when the opportunity appears.