Shloka 14
आश्रमेषु चतुर्ष्वाहुर्दममेवोत्तमं व्रतम् । तस्य लिड्डानि वक्ष्यामि येषां समुदयों दम:,चारों आश्रमोंमें दमको ही उत्तम व्रत बताया गया है। अब मैं इन्द्रिय-दमन एवं मनोनिग्रहके उन लक्षणोंको बताऊँगा, जिनका उदय होना ही दम कहा गया है
āśrameṣu caturṣv āhur damaṃ evottamaṃ vratam | tasya liṅgāni vakṣyāmi yeṣāṃ samudayo damaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “In all four stages of life, the wise declare self-restraint alone to be the highest vow. I shall now describe its distinguishing marks—those signs whose arising and steady presence are what is truly meant by ‘dama’, the disciplined mastery of the senses and the mind.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That self-restraint (dama)—mastery over the senses and mind—is the supreme vow applicable across all four āśramas, and it is recognized by specific observable traits that Bhīṣma is about to enumerate.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues his ethical discourse and introduces a focused teaching: he elevates dama as the highest discipline for every stage of life and prepares to list the signs by which genuine self-restraint is known.