Shloka 5
Sahadeva on Attachment (mamatā), ‘mameti/na mameti’, and the Middle Path of Conduct
ब्रह्ममृत्यू ततो राजन्नात्मन्येव समाश्रितौ । अदृश्यमानौ भूतानि योधयेतामसंशयम्,राजन! इससे सूचित होता है कि मृत्यु और अमृत-ब्रह्म दोनों अपने ही भीतर स्थित हैं। वे ही अदृश्यभावसे रहकर प्राणियोंको एक-दूसरेसे लड़ाते हैं, इसमें संशय नहीं है
brahmamṛtyū tato rājann ātmany eva samāśritau | adṛśyamānau bhūtāni yodhayetām asaṁśayam ||
ฉะนั้นแล ข้าแต่พระราชา ทั้งพรหมันอันไม่ตายและความตาย ต่างสถิตอยู่ในตนเอง. แม้มิอาจเห็นได้ พวกมันกลับผลักดันสรรพชีวิตให้วิวาทและปะทะกัน—ปราศจากข้อสงสัย
सहदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the deepest sources of both liberation (Brahman, the deathless) and bondage/mortality (Death) are internal: they ‘reside’ in one’s own self. Human conflict is thus driven by unseen inner principles—ignorance, desire, fear, and their opposites—rather than merely external enemies.
Sahadeva addresses the king and offers a reflective explanation for why beings come into conflict. He frames warfare and mutual hostility as arising from invisible, inwardly rooted forces—Death and the deathless Brahman—operating within living beings.