Adhyāya 214: Tapas Redefined—Perpetual Discipline, Hospitality, and the Ethics of Eating (तपः-निरूपणम्, विघसाशी-अतिथिप्रिय-धर्मः)
पाप्मानं निर्दहेदेवमन्तर्भूतरजोमयम् । ज्ञानयुक्तेन मनसा संततेन विचक्षण:,विवेकी पुरुषको इस प्रकार ज्ञानयुक्त एवं संयमशील मनके द्वारा अपने अन्तःकरणमें प्रकट हुए पापमय कामविकारको दग्ध कर देना चाहिये
pāpmānaṁ nirdahen manasāntarbhūta-rajo-mayam | jñāna-yuktena manasā santatena vicakṣaṇaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: Seorang yang arif dan menahan diri hendaknya membakar habis dosa batin—yang lahir dari rajas dan muncul di dalam hati—dengan pikiran yang senantiasa terpaut pada pengetahuan. Yakni, ketika dorongan nafsu yang digerakkan gairah tampak dalam sanubari, ia harus meluluhkannya melalui kesadaran jernih yang terus-menerus dan pemahaman yang terdisiplin.
भीष्म उवाच
When passion (rajas) produces sinful impulses within, one should not indulge them but destroy them through a mind steadily grounded in knowledge—continuous awareness, discrimination, and disciplined self-restraint.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhishma advises the listener that ethical life depends on inner purification: the wise person uses sustained, knowledge-based mental focus to burn away rajas-born faults as they arise.