Shloka 22
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
ते पश्यत सुतस्नेहो यादृश: पशुपक्षिणाम् | न तेषां धारयित्वा तान् कश्चिदस्ति फलागम:
te paśyata sutasneho yādṛśaḥ paśupakṣiṇām | na teṣāṃ dhārayitvā tān kaścid asti phalāgamaḥ ||
भीष्म म्हणाले—पशु-पक्ष्यांनाही आपल्या पिलांवर जसा स्नेह असतो, तो पाहा. परंतु त्या प्राण्यांना केवळ संततीचे धारण-पोषण केल्याने परलोकात कोणतेही निश्चित फल प्राप्त होत नाही.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Natural love for one’s children is universal—even animals have it—but mere attachment-driven caretaking is not automatically a spiritually meritorious act. Dharmic ‘fruit’ is associated with conscious, value-guided action and inner discipline rather than instinct alone.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhishma illustrates a moral distinction: instinctive parental affection (seen in beasts and birds) versus deliberate, dharma-oriented practice that is said to yield higher results.