Shloka 28
अध्याय १७८ — प्राणवायुगतिः तथा शारीराग्निव्यवस्था
Adhyāya 178 — The courses of prāṇa-vāyu and the regulation of the bodily fire
अनुतर्षुल एकार्थ: स्वादु गाड़मिवोदकम् | मद्विलापनमेतत्तु प्रतिबुद्धो5स्मि संत्यज,“काम! स्वादिष्ट गड़्ाजलके समान यह धन तृष्णाकी ही वृद्धि करनेवाला है। मैं अच्छी तरह जान गया हूँ कि यह तृष्णाकी वृद्धि मेरे विनाशका कारण है; अतः तू मेरा पिण्ड छोड़ दे
anutarṣur ekārthaḥ svādu gāḍham ivodakam | madvilāpanam etat tu pratibuddho 'smi saṃtyaja, kāma! svādiṣṭa-gaḍa-jalake samānaṃ idaṃ dhanaṃ tṛṣṇāyā hi vṛddhi-karaṇam | ahaṃ suṣṭhu jñāta-vān asmi yat eṣā tṛṣṇā-vṛddhiḥ mama vināśa-kāraṇam; ataḥ tvaṃ mama piṇḍaṃ choda de ||
Bhishma disse: “Ó Desejo, esta riqueza é como água doce e profunda que apenas faz crescer a sede; tem um único efeito — inflamar a cobiça. Despertei para esta verdade: o aumento dessa sede é a causa da minha ruína. Portanto, ó Desejo, deixa-me; solta o teu domínio sobre a minha própria substância.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth and sense-pleasures can be like sweet water that paradoxically intensifies thirst: indulgence often increases craving rather than satisfying it. Ethical freedom comes from awakening (pratibodha) to this mechanism and deliberately abandoning the grip of kāma (desire), which otherwise becomes a cause of personal ruin.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhishma speaks in a reflective, admonitory tone, personifying Desire as an adversary. He declares that he has ‘awakened’ to how wealth fuels craving and asks Kāma to leave him—signaling a turn toward renunciation and self-control as the foundation for peace and right living.