Shloka 8
Adhyāya 164: Gautama as Guest; Kaśyapa’s Satkāra and the Fourfold Arthagati; Journey to Virūpākṣa
संकल्पाज्जायते काम: सेव्यमानो विवर्धते
saṅkalpāj jāyate kāmaḥ sevyamāno vivardhate
संकल्पाज्जायते कामः, सेव्यमानो विवर्धते; आदौ मनोनिश्चयबीजः, पश्चादभ्यासेन बन्धनं भवति।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire does not appear randomly; it begins with saṅkalpa (a chosen mental resolve). If one keeps indulging that desire, it strengthens and becomes harder to restrain. Therefore, ethical discipline starts by guarding intention and limiting indulgence.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira about the psychology of desire: how it originates in the mind’s resolve and how repeated pursuit makes it grow, urging restraint and mindful governance of thought.