Shloka 22
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
ते पश्यत सुतस्नेहो यादृश: पशुपक्षिणाम् | न तेषां धारयित्वा तान् कश्चिदस्ति फलागम:
te paśyata sutasneho yādṛśaḥ paśupakṣiṇām | na teṣāṃ dhārayitvā tān kaścid asti phalāgamaḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“你们当观察：即便是走兽飞禽，对其幼子也有何等深厚的爱怜。然而，对这些众生而言，仅仅维持并抚育子嗣，并不能在来世带来确定的果报（灵性回报）。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Natural love for one’s children is universal—even animals have it—but mere attachment-driven caretaking is not automatically a spiritually meritorious act. Dharmic ‘fruit’ is associated with conscious, value-guided action and inner discipline rather than instinct alone.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhishma illustrates a moral distinction: instinctive parental affection (seen in beasts and birds) versus deliberate, dharma-oriented practice that is said to yield higher results.