Shloka 1
Śakra–Namuci-saṃvāda: Śoka-nivāraṇa and Daiva-vicāra
Indra and Namuci on grief, composure, and inevitability
क्ा-...0.:--. ०-2 ३. जन्मके समय गर्भवास आदिके कारण जो कष्ट होता है
bhīṣma uvāca | janako janadevas tu jñāpitaḥ paramarṣiṇā | punar evānupapraccha sāmparāye bhavābhavau ||
Sinabi ni Bhishma: “O Hari! Si Haring Janaka—na tinatawag ding Janadeva—matapos maturuan ng dakilang rishi na si Pañcaśikha, ay muling nagtanong tungkol sa kalagayan pagkamatay: nananatili ba ang sarili, o nagwawakas at nawawala. Ang tanong na ito’y tumatama sa bigat na etikal ng aral ng paglaya: kung may pagpapatuloy matapos ang kamatayan, dapat ipaliwanag ang bunga ng karma at ang pagkalaya; kung ganap na pagkalipol, dapat ding ipaliwanag ang saysay ng pagtalikod at ng matuwid na asal.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a central moksha-question: after death, is there continued existence (bhava) or non-existence (abhava)? Janaka’s follow-up pushes the teacher to clarify the metaphysical basis on which renunciation, moral restraint, and liberation are meaningful.
After receiving instruction from the great sage (identified in the chapter context as Panchashikha), King Janaka/Janadeva asks another question—specifically about the post-mortem fate of the self: survival versus destruction.