Shloka 22
Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda
Devanagari script
मृत्युर्जरा च व्याधिश्व दुःखं चानेककारणम्
Transliteration
mṛtyur jarā ca vyādhiś ca duḥkhaṃ cānekakāraṇam
Translation
毗湿摩说道：“死亡、衰老与疾病——以及由诸多因缘而起的痛苦——皆是有身之生恒常相随的真实。”
Word by Word
मृत्युःdeath
मृत्युः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootमृत्यु
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
जराold age
जरा:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootजरा
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
व्याधिःdisease
व्याधिः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootव्याधि
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
दुःखम्suffering
दुःखम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootदुःख
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
अनेककारणम्having many causes / caused by many factors
अनेककारणम्:
TypeAdjective
Rootअनेककारण
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
D
Death (mṛtyu)O
Old age (jarā)D
Disease (vyādhi)S
Suffering (duḥkha)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the inevitability of mortality, aging, illness, and multifaceted suffering in worldly existence, encouraging sober reflection and ethical living grounded in detachment and discernment.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma is teaching Yudhiṣṭhira about the realities of saṃsāra and the sources of human distress, as part of broader counsel on dharma and the pursuit of peace after the war.