Shloka 18
Adhyātma–Adhibhūta–Adhidaivata Correspondences and the Triguṇa Lakṣaṇas (Śānti-parva 301)
रूपेण दृष्टि संयुक्तां प्राणं गन्धगुणेन च | शब्दे सक्तं तथा श्रीत्र॑ जिह्ना रसगुणेषु च,नेत्र रूप-गुणसे संयुक्त हैं। प्राणेन्द्रिय ग्रन्थ नामक गुणसे सम्बन्ध रखती है। श्रोत्रेन्द्रिय शब्दमें आसक्त है और रसना रसगुणमें
rūpeṇa dṛṣṭi-saṃyuktā prāṇaṃ gandha-guṇena ca | śabde saktaṃ tathā śrotraṃ jihvā rasa-guṇeṣu ca ||
Bhishma berkata: Daya penglihatan bersatu dengan rupa; nafas hayat (prāṇa) berkaitan dengan sifat bau. Daya pendengaran terpaut pada bunyi, dan lidah terpaut pada sifat rasa. Demikianlah indera secara alami berlari kepada objeknya masing-masing; memahami pertalian ini penting bagi pengendalian diri dan perilaku yang benar.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Each sense faculty is naturally bound to its corresponding object—sight to form, hearing to sound, tongue to taste, and so on. Recognizing this built-in tendency helps one practice restraint (dama) and avoid being carried away by sense-attachment, which is central to dharmic living.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and inner discipline. Here he explains how the senses relate to their objects, as part of a broader discussion on controlling desire and cultivating steadiness of mind.