Shloka 23
Sanatsujāta–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Saṃvāda: Pramāda as Mṛtyu
Chapter 42
दम, त्याग और अप्रमाद--इन तीन गुणोंमें अमृत-का वास है। जो मनीषी (बुद्धिमान) ब्राह्मण हैं, वे कहते हैं कि इन गुणोंका मुख सत्यस्वरूप परमात्माकी ओर है (अर्थात् ये परमात्माकी प्राप्तिके साधन हैं) ।। दमो हराष्टादशगुण: प्रतिकूलं कृताकृते । अनृतं॑ चाभ्यसूया च कामार्थो च तथा स्पृहा
dama-tyāga-apramādāḥ—ete trayo guṇā amṛtasya vāsaḥ | ye manīṣiṇaḥ brāhmaṇāḥ, te vadanti—eteṣāṃ guṇānāṃ mukhaṃ satya-svarūpaṃ paramātmānam prati (tad-prāpti-sādhanatvāt) || damo hi aṣṭādaśa-guṇaḥ; pratikūlaṃ kṛtākṛte | anṛtaṃ cābhyasūyā ca kāmārthaś ca tathā spṛhā ||
Sanatsujāta teaches that three disciplines—self-restraint, renunciation, and vigilant freedom from negligence—are the dwelling-place of ‘immortality’ (the deathless good). Wise Brahmins declare that these virtues face toward the Supreme Self whose very nature is truth; in other words, they are direct means for realizing the Truth. He further indicates that self-control is a comprehensive virtue, opposed to both wrongful action and wrongful inaction, and it stands against falsehood, envy, desire for pleasure and gain, and craving.
सनत्युजात उवाच
Educational Q&A
Immortality (the deathless highest good) is ‘inhabited’ by three disciplines: self-restraint (dama), renunciation (tyāga), and vigilant non-negligence (apramāda). These virtues are oriented toward the Truth-natured Supreme Self and function as practical means to realize that reality.
In the Udyoga Parva’s Sanatsujātīya discourse, Sanatsujāta instructs on spiritual and ethical foundations amid the political crisis leading to war. Here he emphasizes inner discipline—especially self-control—as the antidote to moral failings like falsehood, envy, and craving, redirecting the listener toward truth and liberation.