Shloka 6
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
शोचन्तस्तस्य पूर्वोक्तान् भाषितांश्वासकृत् पुन: । तं बाल॑ भूतले क्षिप्य प्रतिगन्तुं न शकनुयु:
śocantastasya pūrvoktān bhāṣitān śvāsakṛt punaḥ | taṃ bālaṃ bhūtale kṣipya pratigantuṃ na śaknu yuḥ ||
Em pranto, recordavam repetidas vezes as palavras que o menino dissera antes, com a respiração sufocada pela dor. Por isso, mesmo depois de o deitarem no chão do campo de cremação, não conseguiam voltar as costas e partir — presos pela compaixão e pela lembrança.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how remembrance and compassion can overpower mere ritual completion: grief makes people linger, unable to detach even after performing the outward act. It implicitly points to the ethical depth of human bonds and the difficulty of letting go.
Bhīṣma describes mourners who, repeatedly recalling the child’s earlier words, become overwhelmed with sorrow. Even after placing the child down on the ground (understood in context as the cremation-ground setting), they cannot bring themselves to return home.