Shloka 21
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
न वोञस्त्यस्मिन् सुते स्नेहो बाले मधुरभाषिणि | यस्य भाषितमात्रेण प्रसादमधिगच्छत
na voñasty asmin sute sneho bāle madhurabhāṣiṇi | yasya bhāṣitamātreṇa prasādam adhigacchata ||
“এই মধুরভাষী ছোট্ট শিশুটির প্রতি কি তোমাদের একটুও স্নেহ নেই? এ তো সেই বালক, যার কথা মাত্র শুনলেই তোমাদের হৃদয়ে প্রশান্ত আনন্দ জেগে উঠত।”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma appeals to natural affection and moral responsibility: tenderness toward the innocent—especially one’s own child—should not be eclipsed by anger, politics, or harsh judgment; gentle speech and the joy it brings are reminders of one’s duty to protect rather than reject.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhīṣma addresses his listener(s) and reproaches them for seeming lack of affection toward a sweet-speaking child, recalling how the child’s mere words once brought them happiness and calm.