Shloka 23
Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession
अनाब्याश्वापि जीवन्ति राज्यं चाप्यनुशासति । बुद्धिपौरुषसम्पन्नास्त्वया तुल्याधिका जना:
anāḍhyāś cāpi jīvanti rājyaṃ cāpy anuśāsati | buddhi-pauruṣa-sampannās tvayā tulyādhikā janāḥ ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Kahit yaong hindi mayaman ay nabubuhay pa rin, at may ilan pang namamahala ng mga kaharian. Sa mga tao, may mga pinagkalooban ng talino at tapang na kapantay mo, at may ilan pang maaaring humigit sa iyo; ngunit hindi sila nagdadalamhati gaya mo. Kaya ikaw man ay huwag magdalamhati. Hindi ba’t kapantay mo sila—o higit pa—sa pag-unawa at sa pagsisikap?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma urges the listener to abandon debilitating grief by reflecting on resilience: many people, even without wealth, sustain life and shoulder responsibility; possessing intellect and resolve should lead to steadiness rather than sorrow.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira after the war, offering ethical and practical counsel. Here he challenges excessive lamentation and redirects the mind toward fortitude, reason, and purposeful action.