Shloka 10
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
गृहीत्वा ये च गच्छन्ति ये न यान्ति च तान् मृतान् । तेडप्यायुष: प्रमाणेन स्वेन गच्छन्ति जन्तव:
gṛhītvā ye ca gacchanti ye na yānti ca tān mṛtān | te 'pi āyuṣaḥ pramāṇena svena gacchanti jantavaḥ ||
பீஷ்மர் கூறினார்— “இறந்த உறவினரை எடுத்துச் சுடுகாட்டிற்கு செல்பவர்களும், செல்லாதவர்களும்—எல்லா உயிர்களும் தத்தம் ஆயுள் அளவு நிறைவுற்றபோது தான் இந்த உலகை விட்டு நீங்குகின்றன.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Death comes to all beings according to the fixed measure of their own lifespan; external circumstances—such as whether one attends funeral rites—do not alter the inevitability of departure when one’s allotted time is complete.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and life’s realities, Bhīṣma teaches a reflective point about mortality: people may or may not go to the cremation-ground with the dead, but ultimately every creature leaves the world when its lifespan reaches its limit.