Shloka 10
दीर्घदर्शी–दीर्घसूत्र–संप्रतिपत्तिमान् आख्यानम्
The Parable of Foresight, Procrastination, and Presence of Mind
अपध्वस्तो हावमतो दुःखं जीवति जीवितम् | जीवितं यदपक्रुष्ट यथैव मरणं तथा
apadhvasto hāvamato duḥkhaṃ jīvati jīvitam | jīvitaṃ yad apakṛṣṭaṃ yathaiva maraṇaṃ tathā |
Bhīṣma nói: Khi một người bị diệt vong và bị khinh miệt, hắn lê lết một đời sống đầy khổ đau. Một đời sống đã bị hạ nhục và bị ghét bỏ, kỳ thực chẳng khác gì cái chết.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that mere biological survival is not the highest good; when life is stripped of dignity and becomes an object of contempt and constant misery, it is ethically and existentially akin to death. The verse underscores the value of self-respect, social standing grounded in dharma, and the avoidance of a degraded life that destroys one’s capacity to live rightly.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct after the war, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on the realities of human life—especially the consequences of downfall, loss of resources, and social disregard—framing them as conditions that can make life itself feel like death.