Shloka 4
Adhyāya 177: Pañca-mahābhūta-vicāra and Vṛkṣa-jīva-lakṣaṇa
Five Elements Inquiry and the Status of Plant Life
उत्पन्नमिह लोके वै जन्मप्र भूति मानवम् । विविधान्युपवर्तन्ते दु:खानि च सुखानि च
utpannam iha loke vai janmaprabhūti mānavam | vividhāny upavartante duḥkhāni ca sukhāni ca ||
இந்த உலகில் மனிதன் பிறந்த நொடியிலிருந்தே—பிறப்பினாலேயே—பலவகைத் துயரங்களும் இன்பங்களும் அவனை அணுகத் தொடங்குகின்றன.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
From birth itself, a human life naturally includes both pleasure and pain in many forms. Recognizing this helps cultivate steadiness, patience, and ethical clarity instead of being destabilized by inevitable fluctuations.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues advising on life and dharma, introducing a reflective point: embodied existence inevitably brings alternating joys and sorrows from the very start.