Shloka 14
Adhyāya 57: Tapas–Dāna Phala
On the Fruits of Austerity and Giving
कान्ताभिरपरांस्तत्र परिष्वक्तान् ददर्श ह | न ददर्श च तान् भूयो ददर्श च पुनर्नुप:
kāntābhir aparāṁs tatra pariṣvaktān dadarśa ha | na dadarśa ca tān bhūyo dadarśa ca punar nṛpaḥ |
Dijo Bhishma: «Allí el rey vio a otros, estrechados en el abrazo de sus amadas. Pero de nuevo no pudo verlos; y luego, una vez más, los vio. Así, en aquel maravilloso ámbito de placeres celestes, la propia percepción vacilaba—insinuando que el deleite y el apego son inestables, y que lo buscado por el goce de los sentidos no puede retenerse con certeza.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when pleasure and companionship appear attainable, they are unstable and intermittently perceived; this underscores the unreliability of sense-based fulfillment and encourages restraint and detachment aligned with dharma.
Bhishma describes a king witnessing beings absorbed in embraces with their beloveds, but the vision flickers—sometimes visible, sometimes not—suggesting a wondrous or illusory realm where perception and enjoyment are not steady.