Shloka 14
Dvaipāyana–Kīṭa Saṃvāda: Karmic Memory, Fear of Death, and Embodied Pleasure
संस्कृतासंस्कृता: पक्वा लवणालवणास्तथा | प्रजायन्ते यथा भावास्तथा चित्त निरुध्यते
saṁskṛtāsaṁskṛtāḥ pakvā lavaṇālavaṇās tathā | prajāyante yathā bhāvās tathā cittaṁ nirudhyate ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Fleisch erscheint in vielerlei Zuständen—gewürzt oder ungewürzt, gekocht, nur gesalzen oder ungesalzen. In welcher Gestalt diese Zustände auch auftreten, der Geist des Fleischessers wird daran festgehalten, angezogen von den Unterschieden des Geschmacks.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights how sensory variety (different tastes and preparations) strengthens attachment: the mind becomes ‘held’ by what it repeatedly seeks for pleasure. The ethical point is that indulgence in taste can obstruct restraint and inner discipline.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhīṣma is teaching about conduct and restraint. Here he uses the example of meat prepared in multiple ways to illustrate how craving follows taste-variations and binds the mind.