Shloka 20
Adhyāya 272: Vṛtrasya Dharmiṣṭhatā, Indrasya Mohaḥ, Vasiṣṭha-upadeśaḥ
Vṛtra’s dharmic stature; Indra’s disorientation; Vasiṣṭha’s counsel
शब्दे स्पर्शे तथा रूपे न च भावयते मन: । विमुच्यते तदा कामान्न च धर्म विमुडचति
śabde sparśe tathā rūpe na ca bhāvayate manaḥ | vimucyate tadā kāmān na ca dharmaṃ vimuhyati ||
Bhīṣma said: “When the mind no longer dwells upon sound, touch, and form, it becomes released from desires; and in that state it is not deluded about dharma. The teaching points to inner restraint: freedom from sense-fixation loosens craving, and clarity about right conduct naturally follows.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Non-indulgent attention toward sense-objects (sound, touch, form) leads to release from kāma (craving), and that inner freedom prevents confusion about dharma; ethical clarity is presented as a fruit of self-mastery.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the disciplines that support it; here he emphasizes mental withdrawal from sense-objects as the basis for overcoming desire and maintaining right discernment.