Shloka 11
दमप्रशंसा — Praise of Self-Restraint
Dama
शुक्रतो रसतश्रैव देहाज्जायन्ति जन्तव: । स्वभावात् कर्मयोगाद् वा तानुपेक्षेत बुद्धिमान्
śukrato rasataś caiva dehāj jāyanti jantavaḥ | svabhāvāt karmayogād vā tān upekṣeta buddhimān ||
Dijo Bhishma: Los seres vivos surgen del cuerpo: unos de la semilla y otros de los fluidos corporales (como el sudor). Su nacimiento procede ya sea de la naturaleza innata, ya sea de la conjunción del acto pasado y su destino operativo. Por ello, el sabio debe permanecer desapegado y no dejarse arrastrar por preocupación alguna por ellos.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches dispassion: since beings arise through natural processes and the working out of karma, the wise should not become mentally entangled—maintaining equanimity and non-attachment (upekṣā) toward such occurrences.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he frames the arising of living beings as a natural/karma-driven process and advises the listener to respond with detached discernment rather than fixation or anxiety.