Shloka 8
Adhyāya 164: Gautama as Guest; Kaśyapa’s Satkāra and the Fourfold Arthagati; Journey to Virūpākṣa
संकल्पाज्जायते काम: सेव्यमानो विवर्धते
saṅkalpāj jāyate kāmaḥ sevyamāno vivardhate
Bhishma dit : Le désir naît d’une intention délibérée ; lorsqu’on le satisfait et qu’on le poursuit sans cesse, il grandit toujours davantage. Selon le dharma, la première résolution de l’esprit est la semence de la convoitise, et la gratification répétée en fait un lien qui mine la maîtrise de soi et la droiture.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire does not appear randomly; it begins with saṅkalpa (a chosen mental resolve). If one keeps indulging that desire, it strengthens and becomes harder to restrain. Therefore, ethical discipline starts by guarding intention and limiting indulgence.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira about the psychology of desire: how it originates in the mind’s resolve and how repeated pursuit makes it grow, urging restraint and mindful governance of thought.