Shloka 118
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
कृपणानां तु रुदतां कृतमश्रुप्रमार्जनम् । पश्य चाल्पेन कालेन निश्चयान्वेषणेन च
kṛpaṇānāṁ tu rudatāṁ kṛtam aśrupramārjanam | paśya cālpena kālena niścayānveṣaṇena ca ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Voyez : les larmes des misérables qui pleuraient ont été essuyées. Et cela s’est produit en peu de temps—par la résolution ferme et par la recherche réfléchie jointe à l’effort. Un tel soulagement est le fruit d’une quête déterminée et d’une action orientée (aidée par la conjonction providentielle)».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Suffering is not ended by lamentation alone; it is alleviated when steadfast resolve is joined with active inquiry and effort. Relief may come quickly when determination is translated into purposeful action, sometimes supported by favorable providential circumstances.
Bhīṣma points to a situation where people who were weeping in helplessness soon found their tears ‘wiped away’—i.e., their distress was relieved—because of a firm decision and a sustained search/initiative that produced results (with a fortunate conjunction of circumstances).