Shloka 24
अध्याय १७८ — प्राणवायुगतिः तथा शारीराग्निव्यवस्था
Adhyāya 178 — The courses of prāṇa-vāyu and the regulation of the bodily fire
जानामि काम त्वां चैव यच्च किंचित् प्रियं तव । तवाहं प्रियमन्विच्छन्नात्मन्युपलभे सुखम्,“काम! मैं तुझे अच्छी तरह जानता हूँ और जो कुछ तुझे प्रिय लगता है, उससे भी परिचित हूँ। चिरकालसे तेरा प्रिय करनेकी चेष्टा करता चला आ रहा हूँ; परंतु कभी मेरे मनमें सुखका अनुभव नहीं हुआ
jānāmi kāma tvāṁ caiva yac ca kiñcit priyaṁ tava | tavāhaṁ priyam anvicchann ātmany upalabhe sukham ||
Wahai Kāma, aku mengenalmu benar, dan aku pun tahu segala yang kau anggap menyenangkan. Lama aku berusaha mengejar apa yang kau sukai, namun dalam diriku sendiri tak pernah kutemukan kebahagiaan.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Pleasing desire does not guarantee inner well-being; even sustained pursuit of what craving calls ‘pleasant’ can fail to produce sukha. The verse points toward ethical self-examination and the need to seek happiness within, not through compulsive gratification.
In Bhishma’s instruction in the Śānti Parva, he addresses Kāma as a recognizable inner force. He declares that he understands desire and its preferences, yet confesses that long service to it has not yielded peace or happiness in his own self—setting up a critique of desire as an unreliable guide.