Shloka 18
दमप्रशंसा — Praise of Self-Restraint
Dama
संजातैर्जायते गात्रै: कर्मजैर्वर्ष्मणा वृत: । दुःखाद्यन्तैर्दु:खमध्यैर्नर: शारीरमानसै:
sañjātair jāyate gātraiḥ karmajair varṣmaṇā vṛtaḥ | duḥkhādyantair duḥkhamadhyair naraḥ śārīramānasaiḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Manusia lahir dengan anggota-anggota yang terbentuk oleh daya karma masa lampau, terselubung dalam tubuh yang lengkap. Dari awal, pertengahan, hingga akhir hidupnya, ia tetap dilanda penderitaan—jasmani maupun batin—selama ia berada dalam keberadaan yang berjasad.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Embodied birth is shaped by karma, and embodied life is pervaded by physical and mental suffering from start to finish; this supports a reflective, renunciatory outlook and a search for liberation beyond mere bodily identification.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction in the Śānti Parva, he describes the human condition: a person takes birth with a karma-formed body and inevitably experiences ongoing bodily and mental distress throughout life.