Shloka 29
अहिंसयित्वा ब्रह्महत्याविधानम् / Brahmahatyā incurred without physical violence
अधिकारे यदनृतं यच्च राजसु पैशुनम् । गुरोश्वालीककरणं तुल्य॑ तद् ब्रह्म॒हत्यया
Bhīṣma uvāca — adhikāre yad anṛtaṃ yac ca rājasu paiśunam | guroś cālīka-karaṇaṃ tulyaṃ tad brahma-hatyayā ||
Bhishma sprach: „Eine Unwahrheit, die im Rahmen amtlicher Pflicht (zumal beim Richten) geäußert wird, böswilliges Zuträgertum vor Königen und trügerisches Verhalten gegenüber dem Lehrer (Guru) — diese drei gelten als Sünden, die dem brahmahatyā, dem Töten eines Brāhmaṇa, gleichkommen.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that three acts—lying in one’s official/judicial capacity, slandering others before rulers, and deceiving one’s teacher—are so destructive to social and moral order that they are deemed equal in gravity to brahma-hatyā (a great sin).
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues his ethical counsel by listing specific behaviors that constitute the most serious moral transgressions, emphasizing integrity in governance, speech, and the guru-disciple relationship.