Shloka 17
Go-dāna-phala-nirdeśa
Merit and Destinations from the Gift of Cows
ऋषीणां सर्वलोकेषु यानि ते यान्ति देवता: । दमेन यानि नृपते गच्छन्ति परमर्षय:
ṛṣīṇāṃ sarvalokeṣu yāni te yānti devatāḥ | damena yāni nṛpate gacchanti paramarṣayaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô roi, les accomplissements divins que les dieux atteignent dans tous les mondes—ces mêmes états, les voyants suprêmes les atteignent par la maîtrise de soi (dama). Ainsi, la domination des sens et une conduite disciplinée sont proclamées comme un moyen direct d’accéder aux plus hautes demeures spirituelles.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That self-restraint (dama)—discipline of the senses and mind—is powerful enough to grant the highest attainments, comparable to the divine states reached by the gods; ethical mastery is presented as a direct spiritual means.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) on dharma; here he emphasizes that great seers attain exalted realms through self-control, underscoring restraint as a central virtue for both rulers and seekers.