Shloka 8
Adhyāya 164: Gautama as Guest; Kaśyapa’s Satkāra and the Fourfold Arthagati; Journey to Virūpākṣa
संकल्पाज्जायते काम: सेव्यमानो विवर्धते
saṅkalpāj jāyate kāmaḥ sevyamāno vivardhate
ビーシュマは言った。「欲望は、意図して立てた決意から生まれる。これを甘やかし、繰り返し追い求めれば、いよいよ強くなる。ダルマの観点では、心の最初の決意が渇愛の種となり、継続する享楽はそれを束縛の力へと変え、自制とダルマを損なう。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire does not appear randomly; it begins with saṅkalpa (a chosen mental resolve). If one keeps indulging that desire, it strengthens and becomes harder to restrain. Therefore, ethical discipline starts by guarding intention and limiting indulgence.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira about the psychology of desire: how it originates in the mind’s resolve and how repeated pursuit makes it grow, urging restraint and mindful governance of thought.