Shloka 54
ज्ञानपूर्वकृतं कर्म च्छादयन्ते हासाधव: । ज्ञानपूर्व विनश्यन्ति गूहमाना महाजने
jñānapūrvakṛtaṃ karma cchādayante hāsādhavaḥ | jñānapūrvaṃ vinaśyanti gūhamānā mahājane ||
Bhīṣma sprach: Die Bösen versuchen selbst jene sündigen Taten zu verbergen, die sie wissentlich begangen haben. Doch wenn sie ihr Unrecht in Gegenwart der Großen und Einsichtigen geheim halten wollen, gehen sie zugrunde — denn die Schuld, die man bewusst verhüllt, zerstört den Täter.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Deliberate wrongdoing becomes more destructive when one tries to hide it; concealment before the wise and the morally serious community leads to downfall, implying that confession, transparency, and reform are essential to dharmic living.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he warns about the fate of immoral people: they knowingly commit sinful acts and then attempt to conceal them, but such secrecy—especially in the face of the noble and discerning—results in their ruin.