Shloka 7
Kāpavya-carita (कापव्यचरित) — Reforming Dasyus through Regulated Rāja-Dharma
येषां बलकृता वृत्तिस्तेषामन्या न रोचते । तेजसाभिप्रवर्तन्ते बलवन्तो युधिष्ठिर,युधिष्ठिर! जो बल और पराक्रमसे ही जीविका चलानेवाले हैं, उन्हें दूसरी वृत्ति अच्छी नहीं लगती। बलवान पुरुष अपने तेजसे ही कर्मामें प्रवृत्त होते हैं
yeṣāṃ balakṛtā vṛttis teṣām anyā na rocate | tejasābhipravartante balavanto yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhishma said: “Those whose livelihood is sustained by strength and prowess do not find any other mode of living agreeable. O Yudhishthira, men of power are impelled to action by their own fiery energy; they naturally take up deeds that match their force and valor.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma explains a principle of svabhāva (natural disposition): people whose life and identity are rooted in strength and valor are not easily satisfied with gentler or alternative livelihoods; their inner tejas drives them toward forceful action. Ethically, this frames how one’s duties and choices often follow temperament and capacity.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he comments on the nature of powerful men—especially those accustomed to living by prowess—clarifying why they gravitate toward action aligned with strength rather than other occupations.