Shloka 26
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
कामाकामावृतुर्मास: शर्वरी दिवस: क्षण: | अप्रमाद: प्रमादश्न हर्षक्रोधौ शमो दम:
bhīṣma uvāca | kāmākāmāvṛturmāsaḥ śarvarī divasaḥ kṣaṇaḥ | apramādaḥ pramādaś ca harṣakrodhau śamo damaḥ |
कामाकामौ ऋतुर्मासौ शर्वरी दिवसः क्षणः। अप्रमादः प्रमादश्च हर्षक्रोधौ शमो दमः॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights fundamental dualities—desire/dispassion, vigilance/negligence, joy/anger, calm/self-restraint, and the cycles of time—implying that ethical life requires awareness of these forces and cultivation of apramāda (vigilance), śama (inner calm), and dama (sense-control) to remain aligned with dharma.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on kingship and dharma after the war. Here he enumerates paired states and temporal cycles to show how human life is governed by shifting conditions, urging disciplined awareness rather than being driven by impulses.