Shloka 30
भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या
Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa
न खल्वप्यरसज्ञस्थ काम: क्वचन जायते । संस्पर्शाद् दर्शनाद् वापि श्रवणाद् वापि जायते
na khalv apy arasajñastha kāmaḥ kvacana jāyate | saṁsparśād darśanād vāpi śravaṇād vāpi jāyate ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «El deseo no nace en quien está desprovisto del sentido del deleite (rasa). Más bien, surge del contacto, o de la vista, o incluso del oído: por esas puertas por las que la mente se compromete con los objetos.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire is not an unavoidable fate; it is conditioned by one’s relationship to sensory experience. When the mind does not ‘relish’ sense-objects, kāma does not take root. Desire typically arises through the channels of touch, sight, and hearing, so restraint and mindful guarding of the senses are key ethical disciplines.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and inner discipline. Here he explains the psychological origin of desire, pointing to sensory contact and perception as the immediate causes, as part of a broader teaching on self-mastery and righteous living.