Shloka 20
दमप्रशंसा — Praise of Self-Restraint
Dama
इन्द्रियाणां रजस्येव प्रलयप्रभवावुभौ । परीक्ष्य संचरेद् विद्वान् यथावच्छास्त्रचक्षुषा
indriyāṇāṃ rajasy eva pralayaprabhavāv ubhau | parīkṣya saṃcared vidvān yathāvacchāstracakṣuṣā ||
جس طرح گرد و غبار حواس سے چمٹتا ہے، اسی طرح جسمانی زندگی کے ساتھ فنا (پرلَی) اور پھر نیا ظہور (پربھَو)—دونوں—لگے رہتے ہیں۔ اس لیے دانا آدمی کو چاہیے کہ شاستر کی آنکھ سے خوب جانچ کر کے، مناسب آچرن کے ساتھ دنیا میں چلے۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not act impulsively under the ‘dust’ of sense-driven confusion. Recognizing the cycles of decline and renewal in life, the wise examine situations and then act in a manner consistent with dharma, using śāstra as a guiding lens.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous living after the war. Here he emphasizes disciplined conduct: careful examination (parīkṣā) and śāstra-informed judgment as the basis for ethical action amid the instability of worldly conditions.