Shloka 30
जनक–पराशर संवादः — वर्ण-गोत्र-धर्मविचारः
Janaka–Parāśara: Varṇa, Gotra, and Dharma Inquiry
अथ यद् दुःखसंयुक्तमप्रीतिकरमात्मन: । प्रवृत्त रज इत्येव तदसंरभ्य चिन्तयेत्
atha yad duḥkhasaṁyuktam aprītikaram ātmanaḥ | pravṛttaṁ raja ity eva tad asaṁrabhya cintayet ||
Bhīṣma said: “When a thought or impulse arises that is bound up with suffering and brings no inner gladness to the self, one should recognize it simply as the stirring of rajas. Without agitation or grasping, one should reflect on it in this way and understand it for what it is.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
If an inner movement leads to suffering and dissatisfaction, identify it as rajas (restless passion) and examine it calmly without reacting; this recognition weakens its hold and supports self-mastery.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on ethical and spiritual discipline. Here he gives a practical criterion for inner discernment: painful, joyless impulses are to be seen as rājasic and handled through calm reflection rather than impulsive engagement.