Shloka 20
Gṛhastha-vṛtti and Niyama: Models of Householder Livelihood and Discipline (गृहस्थवृत्ति-नियमाः)
संशयं स तु कामात्मा चलचित्तोडल्पचेतन: । अप्राज्ञो न तरत्येनं यो हवास्ते न स गच्छति
saṁśayaṁ sa tu kāmātmā calacitto 'lpacetanaḥ | aprājño na taraty enaṁ yo ha vāste na sa gacchati ||
毗耶娑说：为欲望所驱之人——心念躁动、见识浅薄、缺乏真正明辨——陷于疑惧，因此不能渡过这条“时间之河”。而那只是一味坐下、失却奋进之志者，也同样到不了彼岸。
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire-driven restlessness breeds doubt, and doubt prevents one from overcoming the great obstacle of Time (mortality and worldly flux). Equally, giving up effort and merely remaining inert cannot lead to the goal. Steadiness of mind and purposeful striving are required for progress in dharma.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa delivers a moral instruction using the image of a formidable river—identified in the surrounding tradition as the ‘river of Time.’ He contrasts two failures: the confused, craving person who cannot cross due to doubt, and the person who stops striving altogether, who also cannot reach the far shore.