Shloka 14
Dvaipāyana–Kīṭa Saṃvāda: Karmic Memory, Fear of Death, and Embodied Pleasure
संस्कृतासंस्कृता: पक्वा लवणालवणास्तथा | प्रजायन्ते यथा भावास्तथा चित्त निरुध्यते
saṁskṛtāsaṁskṛtāḥ pakvā lavaṇālavaṇās tathā | prajāyante yathā bhāvās tathā cittaṁ nirudhyate ||
Bhīṣma dit : «La viande se présente sous bien des états—assaisonnée ou non, cuite, simplement salée ou sans sel. Quelle que soit la forme que prennent ces états, l’esprit du mangeur de viande s’y trouve retenu, attiré par les différences de goût.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights how sensory variety (different tastes and preparations) strengthens attachment: the mind becomes ‘held’ by what it repeatedly seeks for pleasure. The ethical point is that indulgence in taste can obstruct restraint and inner discipline.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhīṣma is teaching about conduct and restraint. Here he uses the example of meat prepared in multiple ways to illustrate how craving follows taste-variations and binds the mind.