Shloka 12
Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda
पुष्पाणीव विचिन्वन्तमन्यत्र गतमानसम् | अनवाप्तेषु कामेषु मृत्युरभ्येति मानवम्
puṣpāṇīva vicinvantam anyatra gatamānasam | anavāpteṣu kāmeṣu mṛtyur abhyeti mānavam ||
毗湿摩说道：“正如有人沉迷采花，心神他顾而不觉危险逼近；同样，人在欲望未遂之时，死亡忽然临到，先于其所求所愿的完成而将其攫取。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Death can arrive unexpectedly while one is distracted and still chasing unfulfilled desires; therefore one should not postpone dharma and self-discipline, and should cultivate awareness and detachment from endless craving.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction in the Śānti Parva, he uses a vivid simile: a person picking flowers with a wandering mind is suddenly attacked; likewise, a human being absorbed in sense-objects is overtaken by death before desires are fulfilled.