Shloka 7

Devanagari script

दमं निः:श्रेयसं प्राहुर्वद्धा निश्चितदर्शिन: । ब्राह्मणस्य विशेषेण दमो धर्म: सनातन:,धर्मके सिद्धान्तको जाननेवाले वृद्ध पुरुष दमको नि:श्रेयस (परम कल्याण) का साधन बताते हैं। विशेषतः ब्राह्मणके लिये तो दम ही सनातन धर्म है

Transliteration

damaṁ niḥśreyasaṁ prāhur vṛddhā niścitadarśinaḥ | brāhmaṇasya viśeṣeṇa damo dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma berkata: “Para resi sepuh yang berwawasan mantap menyatakan bahwa dama adalah jalan menuju nihshreyasa—kebaikan tertinggi. Terutama bagi seorang brahmana, dama itu sendiri adalah dharma yang abadi.”

Word by Word

दमम्self-control

निःश्रेयसम्highest good, final beatitude

प्राहुःthey have declared / they say

वृद्धाःelders, aged men

निश्चितदर्शिनःthose of settled/ascertained vision (discerning)

ब्राह्मणस्यof a Brahmin

विशेषेणespecially, in particular

दमःself-control

धर्मःdharma, duty/law

सनातनःeternal

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Brahmin (brāhmaṇa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Self-restraint (dama)—the disciplined control of senses and mind—is taught by authoritative elders as the direct means to niḥśreyasa, the highest welfare. For Brahmins, whose vocation centers on learning, teaching, and spiritual discipline, dama is emphasized as their perennial, defining dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira by citing the verdict of venerable, clear-sighted elders: the path to ultimate good is grounded in inner restraint, and this virtue is especially central to Brahminical life.