Shloka 7
Kāpavya-carita (कापव्यचरित) — Reforming Dasyus through Regulated Rāja-Dharma
येषां बलकृता वृत्तिस्तेषामन्या न रोचते । तेजसाभिप्रवर्तन्ते बलवन्तो युधिष्ठिर
yeṣāṃ balakṛtā vṛttis teṣām anyā na rocate | tejasābhipravartante balavanto yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhishma dit : « Ô Yudhiṣṭhira, ceux dont la subsistance repose sur la force et la vaillance ne goûtent guère d’autre manière de vivre. Les hommes puissants sont poussés à l’action par leur propre ardeur ; naturellement, ils se tournent vers des actes à la mesure de leur force et de leur courage. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma explains a principle of svabhāva (natural disposition): people whose life and identity are rooted in strength and valor are not easily satisfied with gentler or alternative livelihoods; their inner tejas drives them toward forceful action. Ethically, this frames how one’s duties and choices often follow temperament and capacity.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he comments on the nature of powerful men—especially those accustomed to living by prowess—clarifying why they gravitate toward action aligned with strength rather than other occupations.