Shloka 11
दमप्रशंसा — Praise of Self-Restraint
Dama
शुक्रतो रसतश्रैव देहाज्जायन्ति जन्तव: । स्वभावात् कर्मयोगाद् वा तानुपेक्षेत बुद्धिमान्
śukrato rasataś caiva dehāj jāyanti jantavaḥ | svabhāvāt karmayogād vā tān upekṣeta buddhimān ||
Bhishma said: Living creatures arise from the body—some from semen and some from bodily fluids (such as sweat). Their coming into being proceeds either from innate nature or from the conjunction of past action and its operative destiny. Therefore, a wise person should remain detached and not be drawn into concern for them.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches dispassion: since beings arise through natural processes and the working out of karma, the wise should not become mentally entangled—maintaining equanimity and non-attachment (upekṣā) toward such occurrences.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he frames the arising of living beings as a natural/karma-driven process and advises the listener to respond with detached discernment rather than fixation or anxiety.