Shloka 30
जनक–पराशर संवादः — वर्ण-गोत्र-धर्मविचारः
Janaka–Parāśara: Varṇa, Gotra, and Dharma Inquiry
अथ यद् दुःखसंयुक्तमप्रीतिकरमात्मन: । प्रवृत्त रज इत्येव तदसंरभ्य चिन्तयेत्
atha yad duḥkhasaṁyuktam aprītikaram ātmanaḥ | pravṛttaṁ raja ity eva tad asaṁrabhya cintayet ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Wenn ein Gedanke oder Impuls aufsteigt, der mit Leid verbunden ist und dem Selbst keine innere Freude bringt, so erkenne ihn schlicht als das Aufwallen von rajas. Ohne Erregung und ohne Anhaften betrachte ihn auf diese Weise und verstehe ihn als das, was er ist.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
If an inner movement leads to suffering and dissatisfaction, identify it as rajas (restless passion) and examine it calmly without reacting; this recognition weakens its hold and supports self-mastery.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on ethical and spiritual discipline. Here he gives a practical criterion for inner discernment: painful, joyless impulses are to be seen as rājasic and handled through calm reflection rather than impulsive engagement.