Shloka 8

Adhyāya 164: Gautama as Guest; Kaśyapa’s Satkāra and the Fourfold Arthagati; Journey to Virūpākṣa

Devanagari script

संकल्पाज्जायते काम: सेव्यमानो विवर्धते

Transliteration

saṅkalpāj jāyate kāmaḥ sevyamāno vivardhate

Translation

Bhishma sprach: Begierde entsteht aus bewusst gefasstem Entschluss; wird ihr nachgegeben und wird sie immer wieder verfolgt, so wächst sie nur umso stärker. Im Sinne des Dharma ist der erste Vorsatz des Geistes der Same des Verlangens, und fortgesetzte Befriedigung macht daraus eine Fessel, die Selbstbeherrschung und Dharma untergräbt.

Word by Word

• संकल्पात्: from (a) resolve/mental intention
• संकल्पात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संकल्प
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• जायते: is born/arises
• जायते: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

• कामः: desire
• कामः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सेव्यमानः: being indulged/served
• सेव्यमानः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सेव्
• Form: Present passive participle (शानच्), Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Passive

• विवर्धते: grows/increases
• विवर्धते: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृध्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada, वि

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Desire does not appear randomly; it begins with saṅkalpa (a chosen mental resolve). If one keeps indulging that desire, it strengthens and becomes harder to restrain. Therefore, ethical discipline starts by guarding intention and limiting indulgence.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira about the psychology of desire: how it originates in the mind’s resolve and how repeated pursuit makes it grow, urging restraint and mindful governance of thought.