Shloka 139
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
मृत्यु: क्षुरश्व॒ कृत्यश्व पक्षोडपक्षक्षयंकर: । मेघकालो महादंष्ट: संवर्तकबलाहक:
mṛtyuḥ kṣuraśvaḥ kṛtyaśvaḥ pakṣoḍapakṣakṣayaṃkaraḥ | meghakālo mahādaṃṣṭaḥ saṃvartakabalāhakaḥ ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Ang Kamatayan ay tulad ng kabayong matalim na parang labaha, at tulad ng kabayong nakapangingilabot na itinutulak ng tungkulin; dinadala nito ang pagkapuksa sa may pakpak at sa walang pakpak. Ito ang panahon ng mga ulap-bagyo, may malalaking pangil, gaya ng ulap ng pagwawakas na nagtitipon sa pagkalusaw ng daigdig—di-mapipigil, lumalamon, at walang kinikilingan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Death (as Time) is irresistible and impartial, destroying all beings without distinction; therefore one should live with urgency and clarity, establishing oneself in dharma and right conduct before the inevitable end arrives.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma continues his discourse by portraying Death through powerful metaphors—razor-horse, storm-season, and the world-ending cloud—emphasizing the overwhelming, consuming nature of Kāla that overtakes every creature.