Shloka 9
Adhyāya 214: Tapas Redefined—Perpetual Discipline, Hospitality, and the Ethics of Eating (तपः-निरूपणम्, विघसाशी-अतिथिप्रिय-धर्मः)
वाक्सम्भाषाप्रवृत्तं यत् तन्मन:परिवर्जितम् | बुद्धया चाध्यवसीयीत ब्रह्म॒चर्यमकल्मषम्
vāksambhāṣāpravṛttaṃ yat tan manaḥparivarjitam | buddhyā cādhyavasīyīta brahmacaryam akalmaṣam ||
Sinabi ni Bhīṣma: “Anumang asal na pag-uugali na pinasisimulan lamang ng salita at usapan, ngunit iniiwan naman ng isipan, ay dapat pagpasiyahan nang matatag sa malinaw na pag-unawa. Sa pamamagitan ng talino, dapat magpasiya ang tao na panatilihin ang walang-dungis na brahmacarya (pagpipigil sa sarili).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True ethical discipline must be grounded in inner intention, not merely in outward speech. One should use discernment (buddhi) to make a firm resolve toward pure brahmacarya—self-restraint free from moral taint.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he emphasizes that vows and moral practices should not remain superficial or verbal; they must be inwardly accepted and firmly determined, especially regarding brahmacarya.