Shloka 56
Dasyu-maryādā and Buddhi-guided Rāja-nīti (दस्युमर्यादा तथा बुद्धिप्रधान-राजनीति)
भिषजो भैषजं कर्तु कस्मादिच्छन्ति रोगिण: । यदि कालेन पच्यन्ते भेषजै: कि प्रयोजनम्,वैद्यलोग रोगियोंकी दवा करनेकी अभिलाषा क्यों करते हैं? यदि काल ही सबको पका रहा है तो दवाओंका क्या प्रयोजन है?
bhiṣajo bhaiṣajaṃ kartuṃ kasmād icchanti rogiṇaḥ | yadi kālena pacyante bheṣajaiḥ kiṃ prayojanam ||
Brahmadatta nói: “Vì sao các thầy thuốc lại muốn cho người bệnh dùng thuốc? Nếu chính Thời gian (Kāla) đang ‘làm cho chín’—đưa mọi loài đến tận cùng số phận—thì thuốc men có ích gì?”
ब्रह्मदत्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse questions whether human interventions (like medical treatment) have real efficacy if Time/destiny governs outcomes. It invites reflection on how dharmic action—skillful, compassionate effort—can still be meaningful even when ultimate mortality is unavoidable.
Brahmadatta poses a pointed philosophical challenge: if all beings are inevitably carried toward their end by Time, why do physicians strive to cure? The statement functions as a debate prompt within Śānti Parva’s broader inquiry into causality, duty, and the value of purposeful action.