Shloka 27
Adhyāya 214: Tapas Redefined—Perpetual Discipline, Hospitality, and the Ethics of Eating (तपः-निरूपणम्, विघसाशी-अतिथिप्रिय-धर्मः)
तस्मात् तदभिघाताय कर्म कुर्यादकल्मषम् | रजस्तमश्न हित्वेह यथेष्टां गतिमाप्रुयात्
tasmāt tad-abhighātāya karma kuryād akalmaṣam | rajas-tamaś ca hitveha yatheṣṭāṁ gatim āpnuyāt ||
Bhīṣma dit : Ainsi, pour frapper (et vaincre) cet esprit indocile, il faut accomplir une action sans tache—sans faute ni désir égoïste. En agissant ainsi ici-bas, en abandonnant rajas et tamas, on atteint la voie de progrès que l’on recherche véritablement.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
To master the mind, one should engage in blameless, desireless action (akalmaṣa karma). Such disciplined action weakens passion (rajas) and inertia/delusion (tamas), enabling the seeker to attain the intended spiritual course or goal (gati).
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and inner discipline. Here he explains a practical method for subduing the mind: perform pure, untainted action so that the lower guṇas are relinquished and higher progress becomes possible.