Shloka 7
त्रिवर्गविचारः
Tri-varga Deliberation: Dharma, Artha, Kāma
दमं निः:श्रेयसं प्राहुर्वद्धा निश्चितदर्शिन: । ब्राह्मणस्य विशेषेण दमो धर्म: सनातन:
damaṁ niḥśreyasaṁ prāhur vṛddhā niścitadarśinaḥ | brāhmaṇasya viśeṣeṇa damo dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ ||
Bhishma nói: “Các bậc lão hiền có tuệ kiến vững chắc tuyên rằng tự chế là con đường đưa đến nissreyasa—thiện ích tối thượng. Đặc biệt đối với một Bà-la-môn, tự chế chính là dharma vĩnh cửu.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Self-restraint (dama)—the disciplined control of senses and mind—is taught by authoritative elders as the direct means to niḥśreyasa, the highest welfare. For Brahmins, whose vocation centers on learning, teaching, and spiritual discipline, dama is emphasized as their perennial, defining dharma.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira by citing the verdict of venerable, clear-sighted elders: the path to ultimate good is grounded in inner restraint, and this virtue is especially central to Brahminical life.