Shloka 112
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
काम कामद कामघ्न तृप्तातृप्तविचारिणे । सर्व सर्वद सर्वघ्न संध्याराग नमोस्तु ते
kāma kāmada kāmaghna tṛptātṛptavicāriṇe | sarva sarvada sarvaghna sandhyārāga namo'stu te ||
ビーシュマは言った。「おおカーマよ—欲を与える者、欲を滅する者。満足と不満足のありさまを吟味する者。おお一切なる者—一切を与え、一切を滅する者よ。黄昏の色を帯びる者よ、汝に敬礼する。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire (kāma) is portrayed as ambivalent: it can fulfill aims (kāmada) yet also annihilate them (kāmaghna), and it keeps the mind oscillating between satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Ethical life requires discerning this force and governing it so that it does not overpower dharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma delivers reflective teachings to guide conduct after the war. Here he offers a reverential address to Kāma, recognizing its cosmic and psychological power—both creative and destructive—within the moral analysis of human motivation.