Rivers into the ocean

yathā nadīnāṃ bahavo’ambuvegāḥ samudramevābhimukhā dravantitathā tavāmī naralokavīrā viśanti vaktrāṇyabhivijvalanti

As the many currents of rivers rush toward the ocean, so these heroes of the world enter Your blazing mouths.

What it means

Arjuna finds an image. Rivers, many of them, each rushing toward the sea. They can't turn back. They all arrive. The great heroes of the world, he says, are like that, flowing back into the source. The image is softer now. Not destruction, but return.

The story

Arjuna's vision shifts from terror to understanding. These warriors aren't being thrown away. Like rivers, they're returning to the ocean they came from.

In your life

Stand by a river and watch it flow, knowing it will reach the sea. Every life is moving toward its source. If you're grieving someone, picture them as a river that has reached the ocean.