Shloka 18
Adhyātma–Adhibhūta–Adhidaivata Correspondences and the Triguṇa Lakṣaṇas (Śānti-parva 301)
रूपेण दृष्टि संयुक्तां प्राणं गन्धगुणेन च | शब्दे सक्तं तथा श्रीत्र॑ जिह्ना रसगुणेषु च
rūpeṇa dṛṣṭi-saṃyuktā prāṇaṃ gandha-guṇena ca | śabde saktaṃ tathā śrotraṃ jihvā rasa-guṇeṣu ca ||
Bhishma dit : La faculté de voir est jointe à la forme ; le souffle vital (prāṇa) est lié à la qualité de l’odeur. L’ouïe s’attache au son, et la langue s’attache aux qualités du goût. Ainsi les sens se portent naturellement vers leurs objets propres, et comprendre ce lien est essentiel à la maîtrise de soi et à la conduite juste.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Each sense faculty is naturally bound to its corresponding object—sight to form, hearing to sound, tongue to taste, and so on. Recognizing this built-in tendency helps one practice restraint (dama) and avoid being carried away by sense-attachment, which is central to dharmic living.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and inner discipline. Here he explains how the senses relate to their objects, as part of a broader discussion on controlling desire and cultivating steadiness of mind.