Shloka 15
दमप्रशंसा — Praise of Self-Restraint
Dama
कर्मणा बीजभूतेन चोद्यते यद् यदिन्द्रियम् । जायते तदहड्कारादू रागयुक्तेन चेतसा
karmaṇā bījabhūtena codyate yad yad indriyam | jāyate tad ahaṅkārād rāgayuktena cetasā ||
Bhīṣma dijo: Cualquier facultad sensorial que sea impulsada a la actividad por el karma vuelto semilla, esa misma facultad se manifiesta a través del egoísmo (ahaṃkāra) cuando la mente está unida al apego. Así se modela la experiencia encarnada: la acción pasada aporta la semilla causal, mientras la noción de sí y la mente movida por el anhelo hacen surgir modos particulares de percepción y de trato con el mundo.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a causal chain: karmic impressions act as the seed, but the actual arising and functioning of the senses is mediated by egoism (ahaṅkāra) and a mind colored by attachment (rāga). Ethical progress therefore requires weakening attachment and ego-identification, not merely changing external actions.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhīṣma explains to the listener how embodied experience is generated. He analyzes the psychological and karmic conditions by which particular sense-activities arise, framing it as guidance for self-control and liberation-oriented conduct.