Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
न स्नेहस्य च विच्छेदो विलापरुदितस्थ च । मृतस्यास्य परित्यागात् तापो वै भविता ध्रुवम्
na snehyasya ca vicchedo vilāpa-ruditastha ca | mṛtasyāsya parityāgāt tāpo vai bhavitā dhruvam ||
Jambuka said: “By abandoning this dead child, neither will your affection truly be cut off, nor will your weeping and lamentation cease. On the contrary, your inner burning grief will surely increase.”
जम्बुक उवाच
The verse warns that merely abandoning the external object of attachment (the dead child) does not automatically end attachment or grief; unresolved sorrow can intensify unless one gains inner clarity and acceptance.
Jambuka addresses a grieving person and argues that leaving the dead child behind will not stop lamentation; instead, it will likely deepen the torment of grief, implying the need for wiser handling of sorrow than physical abandonment.