Shloka 23
Kṣemadarśa–Kālakavṛkṣīya Saṃvāda: Counsel on Impermanence, Non-attachment, and Composure in Dispossession
अनाब्याश्वापि जीवन्ति राज्यं चाप्यनुशासति । बुद्धिपौरुषसम्पन्नास्त्वया तुल्याधिका जना:
anāḍhyāś cāpi jīvanti rājyaṃ cāpy anuśāsati | buddhi-pauruṣa-sampannās tvayā tulyādhikā janāḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“即便不富有的人也照样活着，有些人甚至还能治理邦国。世人之中，有智识与刚毅与你相等者，也有或许胜过你者；然而他们并不如你这般沉溺悲恸。故你亦不当忧伤。难道你在理解与奋勉上不与他们相等，甚至更胜一筹吗？”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma urges the listener to abandon debilitating grief by reflecting on resilience: many people, even without wealth, sustain life and shoulder responsibility; possessing intellect and resolve should lead to steadiness rather than sorrow.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira after the war, offering ethical and practical counsel. Here he challenges excessive lamentation and redirects the mind toward fortitude, reason, and purposeful action.