Shloka 82
Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances
प्रथमं यः समाख्यात: शीलवानिति संसदि । न वाच्यं तस्य वैगुण्यं प्रतिज्ञां परिरक्षता,“पहले भरी सभामें शीलवान् कहकर जिसका परिचय दिया गया हो, प्रतिज्ञाकी रक्षा करनेवाले पुरुषको उसका दोष नहीं बताना चाहिये
prathamaṃ yaḥ samākhyātaḥ śīlavān iti saṃsadi | na vācyaṃ tasya vaiguṇyaṃ pratijñāṃ parirakṣatā |
Bhishma sprach: „Wenn ein Mann zuerst in der Versammlung als ‘von gutem Wandel’ vorgestellt wurde, dann soll derjenige, der sein Gelübde zu wahren sucht, nicht von den Fehlern dieses Mannes sprechen.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should practice restraint in speech: if someone has been publicly presented as virtuous, it is improper to later publicize his defects. A person committed to keeping a vow should avoid fault-finding that contradicts or undermines prior honorable testimony.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma lays down a rule of ethical conduct for discourse in an assembly: maintain consistency and integrity in public speech, and do not damage another’s reputation after having introduced him as a man of good character.