Shloka 4
अहिंसयित्वा ब्रह्महत्याविधानम् / Brahmahatyā incurred without physical violence
भीष्म उवाच श्रद्धापूतो नरस्तात दुर्दान्तोी5पि न संशय: । पूतो भवति सर्वत्र किमुत त्वं महाद्युते
bhīṣma uvāca śraddhāpūto naras tāta durdānto 'pi na saṁśayaḥ | pūto bhavati sarvatra kim uta tvaṁ mahādyute ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Mein Kind, selbst ein Mensch, der schwer zu zügeln ist, wird durch bloßen Glauben (śraddhā) geläutert—daran besteht kein Zweifel. Wer durch Glauben geläutert ist, ist überall rein; um wie viel mehr du, o Mächtiger, dessen Wesen mit dem Dharma im Einklang steht.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śraddhā (faithful reverence) has a purifying power: even a person lacking self-control can become purified through sincere faith; therefore, a dharmic and noble person’s purity is even more certain.
Bhishma addresses a ‘mighty’ listener (a king/hero in context) to reassure him: purity and worthiness are grounded in śraddhā, and the listener—being dharma-inclined—should have no doubt about his own purity.