अध्याय २८६ — पराशर-उपदेशः
Ethical Restraint, Mortality, and Karma
अगाधाश्षाप्रतिष्ठाक्ष॒ गतिमन्तश्ष नारद । अन्धा जडाशक्ष जीवन्ति पश्यास्मानपि जीवत:
agādhāḥ apratiṣṭhāś ca gatimantaś ca nārada | andhā jaḍāś ca jīvanti paśyāsmān api jīvataḥ ||
अगाधाश्चाप्रतिष्ठाश्च गतिमन्तश्च नारद । अन्धा जडाश्च जीवन्ति पश्यास्मानपि जीवतः ॥
समड़ उवाच
Mere survival is not proof of wisdom or righteousness: even the blind and dull live on. The verse implicitly urges discernment—one should not take continued life or worldly momentum as a sign of true stability, understanding, or dharmic success.
The speaker addresses the sage Nārada and points to a common worldly fact: people lacking clarity, firm grounding, or insight still continue living. Using this as a comparison, the speaker says, 'Look at us too—we are living in the same way,' conveying a tone of humility, resignation, or critique of merely mechanical existence.