Shloka 5
प्रजाविसर्ग-तत्त्वनिर्णयः | Cosmogony of Elemental Emergence
Bharadvāja–Bhṛgu Dialogue
पुत्र बवाच धीर: किंस्वित् तात कुर्यात् प्रजानन् क्षिप्रं ह्मायुर्श्श्यते मानवानाम् । पितस्तदाचक्ष्व यथार्थयोगं ममानुपूर्व्या येन धर्म चरेयम्
putra uvāca dhīraḥ: kiṃsvit tāta kuryāt prajānann kṣipraṃ hy āyuḥ kṣīyate mānavānām | pitas tad ācakṣva yathārtha-yogaṃ mamānupūrvyā yena dharmaṃ careyam ||
儿子说道：“父亲啊，既知人类寿命正迅速消耗，一个坚定而明辨之人当作何事？慈父，请将那真实而相称的方法——循序渐进——告诉我，使我得以依循达摩而行。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Awareness of life’s brevity should lead a wise person to seek a true, practical discipline for living dharmically; the verse frames dharma as something to be learned methodically and practiced deliberately.
A son respectfully questions his father, asking for step-by-step instruction on the correct means to practice dharma, motivated by the realization that human lifespan passes quickly.