Shloka 4
Adhyāya 177: Pañca-mahābhūta-vicāra and Vṛkṣa-jīva-lakṣaṇa
Five Elements Inquiry and the Status of Plant Life
उत्पन्नमिह लोके वै जन्मप्र भूति मानवम् । विविधान्युपवर्तन्ते दु:खानि च सुखानि च
utpannam iha loke vai janmaprabhūti mānavam | vividhāny upavartante duḥkhāni ca sukhāni ca ||
毗湿摩说道：在这世间，凡人一出生之时（无论贫富），种种境遇便随之生起——忧苦亦有，欢喜亦有——皆为有身之生的自然伴侣。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
From birth itself, a human life naturally includes both pleasure and pain in many forms. Recognizing this helps cultivate steadiness, patience, and ethical clarity instead of being destabilized by inevitable fluctuations.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues advising on life and dharma, introducing a reflective point: embodied existence inevitably brings alternating joys and sorrows from the very start.