Shloka 4
Adhyāya 272: Vṛtrasya Dharmiṣṭhatā, Indrasya Mohaḥ, Vasiṣṭha-upadeśaḥ
Vṛtra’s dharmic stature; Indra’s disorientation; Vasiṣṭha’s counsel
ततस्तदर्थ यतते कर्म चारभते महत् | इष्टानां रूपगन्धानामभ्यासं च चिकीर्षति
tatas tadarthaṃ yatate karma cārabhate mahat | iṣṭānāṃ rūpagandhānām abhyāsaṃ ca cikīrṣati ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Después, por ese mismo objeto al que se aferra, el hombre se esfuerza y emprende grandes empresas. Busca gozar una y otra vez, y persistir en la indulgencia de las formas y fragancias que le complacen—con lo cual se hunde más en la dependencia de los objetos de los sentidos y se fortalece la cadena del anhelo que impulsa la acción.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Attachment to sense-pleasures leads to striving and ever-larger actions aimed at securing the desired object; repeated indulgence (abhyāsa) strengthens craving and makes the mind more bound to sense-objects, undermining self-mastery and ethical steadiness.
In Bhishma’s instruction in the Shanti Parva, he describes the psychological sequence of desire: once attraction arises, a person exerts effort, undertakes major enterprises, and seeks repeated enjoyment of pleasing sensory experiences such as forms and fragrances.