Shloka 26
Haṃsa–Sādhya Saṃvāda: Satya, Dama, Kṣamā and the Discipline of Speech
द्यूते पाने तथा स्त्रीषु मृगयायां च यो नर: । न प्रमाद्यति सम्मोहात् सततं मुक्त एव सः
dyūte pāne tathā strīṣu mṛgayāyāṃ ca yo naraḥ | na pramādyati sammohāt satataṃ mukta eva saḥ ||
Wika ni Bhishma: Ang lalaking, kahit nasa gitna ng pagsusugal, pag-inom, pakikisalamuha sa mga babae, at pangangaso, ay hindi nahuhulog sa kapabayaan dahil sa kamangmangan—siya ay nananatiling malaya magpakailanman. Itinuturo rito na ang pagkaalipin ay hindi lamang dahil naroon ang mga tukso, kundi dahil sa pagkawala ng pagpipigil-sa-sarili at pag-unawa na nagiging bisyo at pagbagsak sa asal-dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Freedom is maintained by vigilance and self-mastery: even when surrounded by common temptations—gambling, intoxicants, sexual entanglements, and hunting—one who does not succumb to delusion-born heedlessness avoids bondage and remains 'free'.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira by identifying typical sources of moral downfall and emphasizing that the decisive factor is pramāda (careless loss of discernment), not merely the external presence of such pursuits.