Shloka 8
Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda
पितोवाच कथमभ्याहतो लोक: केन वा परिवारित: । अमोघा: का: पतन्तीह कि नु भीषयसीव माम्,पिता बोले--पुत्र! तुम मुझे डरानेकी चेष्टा क्यों करते हो? भला, यह लोक कैसे ताड़ित होता है अथवा किसने इसे घेर रखा है? और यहाँ कौन-सी अमोघ वस्तुएँ हमपर टूटी पड़ती हैं?
pitovāca katham abhyāhato lokaḥ kena vā parivāritaḥ | amoghāḥ kāḥ patantīha kiṃ nu bhīṣayasi iva mām ||
Sumagot ang ama: “Anak, bakit mo ako tinatangkang takutin? Sabihin mo—ano ang humahampas sa daigdig na ito, o sino ang pumapaligid dito? At anu-ano ang mga puwersang ‘di nagkakamali’ na sinasabing bumabagsak sa atin dito?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a philosophical inquiry: instead of yielding to fear, one should identify what truly assails and constrains human life—those inevitable, “unfailing” forces (such as time, death, karma, and suffering) that operate in the world.
In Bhishma’s narration, a father responds to his son’s alarming words. He challenges the son to explain what threatens the world and what unavoidable powers ‘fall upon’ beings, questioning the attempt to frighten him and steering the exchange toward reasoned explanation.