Adhyāya 214: Tapas Redefined—Perpetual Discipline, Hospitality, and the Ethics of Eating (तपः-निरूपणम्, विघसाशी-अतिथिप्रिय-धर्मः)
पाप्मानं निर्दहेदेवमन्तर्भूतरजोमयम् । ज्ञानयुक्तेन मनसा संततेन विचक्षण:,विवेकी पुरुषको इस प्रकार ज्ञानयुक्त एवं संयमशील मनके द्वारा अपने अन्तःकरणमें प्रकट हुए पापमय कामविकारको दग्ध कर देना चाहिये
pāpmānaṁ nirdahen manasāntarbhūta-rajo-mayam | jñāna-yuktena manasā santatena vicakṣaṇaḥ ||
Bhishma disse: A pessoa discernente e autocontrolada deve queimar o pecado interior—nascido do rajas e surgido na mente—por meio de uma mente firmemente unida ao conhecimento. Em outras palavras, quando impulsos movidos pela paixão se manifestarem no coração, deve-se consumi-los com lucidez contínua e entendimento disciplinado.
भीष्म उवाच
When passion (rajas) produces sinful impulses within, one should not indulge them but destroy them through a mind steadily grounded in knowledge—continuous awareness, discrimination, and disciplined self-restraint.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhishma advises the listener that ethical life depends on inner purification: the wise person uses sustained, knowledge-based mental focus to burn away rajas-born faults as they arise.