Shloka 21
Bhīṣma’s Yogic Departure, Royal Cremation, and Gaṅgā’s Lament (भीष्मस्य योगयुक्त्या देहत्यागः, पितृमेधः, गङ्गाविलापः)
स काम: सर्वभूतानां सर्वभावगतो नृप । असुराणां सुराणां च चरत्यन्तर्गतः सदा
sa kāmaḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ sarvabhāvagato nṛpa | asurāṇāṁ surāṇāṁ ca caraty antargataḥ sadā ||
स कामः सर्वभूतानां सर्वभावगतो नृप । असुराणां सुराणां च चरत्यन्तर्गतः सदा ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire (kāma) is a universal inner force operating in all beings—divine and demonic alike—so ethical life requires recognizing its pervasive presence and governing it through dharma rather than being governed by it.
Bhīṣma instructs the king (Yudhiṣṭhira in this parva’s dialogue) by describing Kāma as an ever-present internal mover in all creatures, and he links this personified power to Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lineage, elevating the discussion from mere psychology to a cosmic-genealogical frame.