Shloka 15
त्रिवर्गविचारः
Tri-varga Deliberation: Dharma, Artha, Kāma
क्षमा धृतिरहिंसा च समता सत्यमार्जवम् | इन्द्रियाभिजयो दाक्ष्यं मार्दव॑ हवीरचापलम्
kṣamā dhṛtir ahiṃsā ca samatā satyam ārjavam | indriyābhijayo dākṣyaṃ mārdavaṃ hrīr acāpalam ||
毗湿摩说道：“忍辱、坚忍、不害（阿希摩萨 ahiṃsā）、平等心、真实与正直；制胜诸根、才干、柔和、谦羞，以及不轻浮不反复——当这些德行在一人身上生起并牢固安住时，这就称为‘达摩’（dama），即自制。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma defines dama (self-restraint) not as mere suppression but as the stable emergence of a cluster of virtues—patience, firmness, non-violence, equanimity, truth, straightforwardness, sensory mastery, competence, gentleness, modesty, and steadiness—showing that ethical character and inner discipline are inseparable.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma after the war, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira about moral and spiritual discipline. Here he enumerates the qualities that constitute dama, presenting a practical ethical profile of a self-controlled person.