Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
सर्वेण खलु मर्तव्यं मर्त्यलोके प्रसूयता । कृतान्तविहिते मार्गे मृतं को जीवयिष्यति
sarveṇa khalu martavyaṃ martyaloke prasūyatā | kṛtāntavihite mārge mṛtaṃ ko jīvayiṣyati ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Tunay, ang sinumang isilang sa mundong may kamatayan ay mamamatay balang araw. Kapag ang isang nilalang ay namatay na sa landas na itinakda ni Panahon (Kamatayan), sino ang makapagbabalik-buhay sa patay?”
भीष्म उवाच
All who are born must die; death follows the ordained course of Time (kṛtānta/kāla). Since no one can revive the dead, wisdom lies in accepting mortality and aligning one’s response—especially grief—with the universal order (dharma) rather than resisting the inevitable.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma addresses the realities of human suffering after catastrophic loss. He frames death as universal and governed by kṛtānta (Death/Time), offering a consolatory, ethical perspective meant to steady the listener’s mind and guide conduct amid bereavement.