Shloka 28
भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या
Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa
परिच्छिद्यैव कामानां सर्वेषां चैव कर्मणाम् | मूल॑ बुद्धीन्द्रियग्रामं शकुन्तानिव पठ्जरे
paricchidyaiva kāmānāṁ sarveṣāṁ caiva karmaṇām | mūlaṁ buddhīndriyagrāmaṁ śakuntān iva pañjare ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Tras delimitar con claridad y refrenar todos los deseos y todas las acciones, debe reconocerse que su raíz es la facultad de discernimiento de la mente junto con todo el “rebaño” de los sentidos. Si la inteligencia y los sentidos se mantienen bajo control —como aves encerradas en una jaula— no hay motivo para el temor.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desires and actions arise from the interplay of discernment (buddhi) and the senses (indriya-grāma). Ethical steadiness and fearlessness come from restraining and governing these inner instruments rather than letting them roam freely.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhīṣma advises the listener that mastery over intellect and senses is the practical foundation for controlling desire-driven conduct, using the image of birds safely kept within a cage.