Shloka 29
तृष्णाक्षय-उपदेशः
Instruction on the Cessation of Craving
मोघान्यगुप्तद्वारस्य सर्वाण्येव भवन्त्युत । कि तस्य तपसा कार्य कि यज्ञेन किमात्मना
moghāny aguptadvārasya sarvāṇy eva bhavanty uta | ki tasya tapasā kāryaṁ ki yajñena kim ātmanā ||
Kapila dit : Pour celui dont les « portes » restent sans garde, tous les efforts vertueux deviennent vains. À quoi bon alors l’austérité, le sacrifice, ou même la contemplation intérieure, si la maîtrise de soi fait défaut ? L’enseignement éthique est que la discipline des sens est le fondement qui confère aux pratiques spirituelles leur véritable efficacité.
कपिल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Spiritual practices like tapas (austerity), yajña (sacrifice), and even inner contemplation bear fruit only when the ‘doors’—commonly understood as the senses and avenues of conduct—are guarded through self-restraint. Without control, good deeds lose their efficacy.
In the Shanti Parva’s instructional dialogue, Kapila is presenting a moral-philosophical critique: he warns that external religious acts and even inward practices are undermined if a person does not discipline the senses and protect the mind from uncontrolled impulses.