Shloka 6
त्रिवर्गविचारः
Tri-varga Deliberation: Dharma, Artha, Kāma
धर्मस्य विधयो नैके ये वै प्रोक्ता महर्षिभि: | स्वं स्वं विज्ञानमाश्रित्य दमस्तेषां परायणम्
dharmasya vidhayo naike ye vai proktā maharṣibhiḥ | svaṃ svaṃ vijñānam āśritya damas teṣāṃ parāyaṇam ||
Bhishma dijo: «Las ordenanzas del dharma no son una sola, sino muchas, como han enseñado los grandes sabios. Cada cual ha hablado conforme a su propia realización; pero el fundamento común y el último apoyo de todas es dama: el autodominio, el control disciplinado de la mente y de los sentidos».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma has many legitimate formulations taught by different seers, but all of them ultimately rest on dama—inner discipline and control of mind and senses—as the indispensable basis for righteous living.
In the Shanti Parva instruction, Bhishma is teaching about the nature of dharma, emphasizing that while authorities differ in prescriptions according to their insight, they converge on self-restraint as the shared foundation.