Adhyāya 214: Tapas Redefined—Perpetual Discipline, Hospitality, and the Ethics of Eating (तपः-निरूपणम्, विघसाशी-अतिथिप्रिय-धर्मः)
वाक्सम्भाषाप्रवृत्तं यत् तन्मन:परिवर्जितम् | बुद्धया चाध्यवसीयीत ब्रह्म॒चर्यमकल्मषम्
vāksambhāṣāpravṛttaṃ yat tan manaḥparivarjitam | buddhyā cādhyavasīyīta brahmacaryam akalmaṣam ||
ビーシュマは言った。「言葉や談話だけによって起こされ、しかも心がそれを捨て去ってしまうような行いは、澄みきった理解によって固く決意されねばならぬ。知性によって、汚れなきブラフマチャリヤ(梵行・自己抑制)を守り抜くと定めよ。」
भीष्म उवाच
True ethical discipline must be grounded in inner intention, not merely in outward speech. One should use discernment (buddhi) to make a firm resolve toward pure brahmacarya—self-restraint free from moral taint.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he emphasizes that vows and moral practices should not remain superficial or verbal; they must be inwardly accepted and firmly determined, especially regarding brahmacarya.