Shloka 9
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 103 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Gāndhārī Vivāha: Proposal, Consent, and the Vow
मिथ्याप्रतिज्ञो लोकेषु कि वदिष्यति भारत | ब्रह्मचारीति भीष्मो हि वृथैव प्रथितो भुवि
mithyāpratijño lokeṣu kiṁ vadiṣyati bhārata | brahmacārīti bhīṣmo hi vṛthaiva prathito bhuvi
বৈশম্পায়নে ক’লে—হে ভাৰত! যি মানুহ লোকসমাজত ‘মিথ্যা-প্ৰতিজ্ঞ’ বুলি পৰিচিত হয়, সি নিজৰ পক্ষত কি ক’ব পাৰিব? তেতিয়া পৃথিৱীত ভীষ্ম ‘আজীৱন ব্ৰহ্মচাৰী’ বুলি যি খ্যাতি, সেয়াও ব্যৰ্থ আৰু অৰ্থহীন হৈ পৰিব।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A vow (pratijñā) is an ethical anchor: if one becomes known as a breaker of promises, public trust collapses and even genuine virtues (like Bhīṣma’s famed brahmacarya) lose their moral force and meaning.
Vaiśampāyana underscores the stakes of fidelity to a pledge: he argues that if a pledge is violated, the person will have no credible defense before society, and Bhīṣma’s celebrated identity as a lifelong celibate would be rendered pointless.