Shloka 9
Adhyāya 159 — Dāna–Dakṣiṇā, Āpaddharma Measures, and Prāyaścitta Classifications
उपस्थोदरयोवेंगो मृत्युवेगश्च॒ दारुण: । ईष्यविगश्न बलवान् मिथ्यावेगश्च दुर्जय:
upasthodarayoḥ vegau mṛtyuvegaś ca dāruṇaḥ | īrṣyā-vegaś ca balavān mithyā-vegaś ca durjayaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “The impulses of the sexual organ and of the belly (appetite) are powerful; the rush toward death is dreadful. The surge of jealousy is strong, and the impulse toward falsehood is hard to conquer.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights several overpowering inner drives—lust, appetite, jealousy, and the tendency to lie—warning that ethical life (dharma) requires vigilant self-mastery over these impulses, since they easily lead to personal and social ruin.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising on righteous conduct by listing formidable human urges that obstruct virtue and clear judgment, framing them as forces that must be restrained for moral stability.