Go-dāna-phala-nirdeśa
Merit and Destinations from the Gift of Cows
ऋषीणां सर्वलोकेषु यानि ते यान्ति देवता: । दमेन यानि नृपते गच्छन्ति परमर्षय:
ṛṣīṇāṃ sarvalokeṣu yāni te yānti devatāḥ | damena yāni nṛpate gacchanti paramarṣayaḥ ||
ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಓ ರಾಜನೇ, ಎಲ್ಲ ಲೋಕಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ದೇವತೆಗಳು ತಲುಪುವ ದಿವ್ಯ ಸ್ಥಿತಿಗಳನ್ನು ಪರಮರ್ಷಿಗಳೂ ದಮ (ಇಂದ್ರಿಯನಿಗ್ರಹ)ದಿಂದಲೇ ತಲುಪುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಇಂದ್ರಿಯಜಯ ಮತ್ತು ನಿಯಮಬದ್ಧ ಆಚರಣೆ ಪರಮಗತಿಗೆ ನೇರ ಸಾಧನವೆಂದು ಘೋಷಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ.
भीष्म उवाच
That self-restraint (dama)—discipline of the senses and mind—is powerful enough to grant the highest attainments, comparable to the divine states reached by the gods; ethical mastery is presented as a direct spiritual means.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) on dharma; here he emphasizes that great seers attain exalted realms through self-control, underscoring restraint as a central virtue for both rulers and seekers.