Shloka 30
भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या
Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa
न खल्वप्यरसज्ञस्थ काम: क्वचन जायते । संस्पर्शाद् दर्शनाद् वापि श्रवणाद् वापि जायते
na khalv apy arasajñastha kāmaḥ kvacana jāyate | saṁsparśād darśanād vāpi śravaṇād vāpi jāyate ||
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—രസബോധമില്ലാത്തവനിൽ എവിടെയും കാമന ജനിക്കുകയില്ല. കാമന ജനിക്കുന്നത് സ്പർശത്തിൽ നിന്നോ, ദർശനത്തിൽ നിന്നോ, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ശ്രവണത്തിൽ നിന്നോ—ഈ വാതിലുകളിലൂടെയാണ്.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire is not an unavoidable fate; it is conditioned by one’s relationship to sensory experience. When the mind does not ‘relish’ sense-objects, kāma does not take root. Desire typically arises through the channels of touch, sight, and hearing, so restraint and mindful guarding of the senses are key ethical disciplines.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and inner discipline. Here he explains the psychological origin of desire, pointing to sensory contact and perception as the immediate causes, as part of a broader teaching on self-mastery and righteous living.