Shloka 30
जनक–पराशर संवादः — वर्ण-गोत्र-धर्मविचारः
Janaka–Parāśara: Varṇa, Gotra, and Dharma Inquiry
अथ यद् दुःखसंयुक्तमप्रीतिकरमात्मन: । प्रवृत्त रज इत्येव तदसंरभ्य चिन्तयेत्
atha yad duḥkhasaṁyuktam aprītikaram ātmanaḥ | pravṛttaṁ raja ity eva tad asaṁrabhya cintayet ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Apabila timbul suatu fikiran atau dorongan yang terikat dengan penderitaan dan tidak membawa kegembiraan batin kepada diri, hendaklah dikenali semata-mata sebagai gelora rajas. Tanpa gementar dan tanpa menggenggam, renungkanlah ia demikian, agar ia difahami menurut hakikatnya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
If an inner movement leads to suffering and dissatisfaction, identify it as rajas (restless passion) and examine it calmly without reacting; this recognition weakens its hold and supports self-mastery.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on ethical and spiritual discipline. Here he gives a practical criterion for inner discernment: painful, joyless impulses are to be seen as rājasic and handled through calm reflection rather than impulsive engagement.