Shloka 41
गोमूल्यनिर्णयः — The Determination of Value through the Cow
Nahuṣa–Cyavana Episode
अनार्यत्वमनाचार: क्र्रत्वं निष्क्रियात्मता । पुरुषं व्यज्जयन्तीह लोके कलुषयोनिजम्,इस जगत्में अनार्यता, अनाचार, क्रूरता और अकर्मण्यता आदि दोष मनुष्यको कलुषित योनिसे उत्पन्न (वर्णसंकर) सिद्ध करते हैं
anāryatvam anācāraḥ krauryaṁ niṣkriyātmatā | puruṣaṁ vyañjayantīha loke kaluṣayonijam ||
Bhīṣma sprach: «In dieser Welt verraten Fehler wie Unkultiviertheit und Unedelkeit, Leben ohne rechte Sitte, Grausamkeit und ein träger, untätiger Geist den Menschen befleckter Herkunft.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that ignoble traits—lack of noble disposition, improper conduct, cruelty, and laziness—publicly reveal a person’s moral quality. One’s true worth is shown by ācāra (lived conduct), not by mere assertions of status.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma. Here he lists specific vices and states that these faults ‘mark’ a person as of tainted origin in the eyes of the world—emphasizing ethical evaluation through behavior.