Shloka 6
त्रिवर्गविचारः
Tri-varga Deliberation: Dharma, Artha, Kāma
धर्मस्य विधयो नैके ये वै प्रोक्ता महर्षिभि: | स्वं स्वं विज्ञानमाश्रित्य दमस्तेषां परायणम्
dharmasya vidhayo naike ye vai proktā maharṣibhiḥ | svaṃ svaṃ vijñānam āśritya damas teṣāṃ parāyaṇam ||
Bhishma disse: “As ordenanças do dharma não são uma só, mas muitas, como ensinaram os grandes rishis. Cada um falou conforme a sua própria realização; contudo, o fundamento comum e o derradeiro amparo de todas é dama — o autocontrole, a disciplina da mente e dos sentidos.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma has many legitimate formulations taught by different seers, but all of them ultimately rest on dama—inner discipline and control of mind and senses—as the indispensable basis for righteous living.
In the Shanti Parva instruction, Bhishma is teaching about the nature of dharma, emphasizing that while authorities differ in prescriptions according to their insight, they converge on self-restraint as the shared foundation.