Shloka 15
Kośa-saṃjanana and Subtle Dharma
Treasury Formation and Fine-Grained Ethics
यथा सद्धिः परादानमहिंसा दस्युभि: कृता । अनुरज्यन्ति भूतानि समयदिषु दस्युषु
yathā saddhiḥ parādānam ahiṃsā dasyubhiḥ kṛtā | anurajyanti bhūtāni samayādiṣu dasyuṣu ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Wie selbst unter Räubern ein Verhaltenskodex bestehen kann—wenn ‘gute’ Wegelagerer fremdes Gut nehmen, doch Gewalt meiden—so können Lebewesen sich sogar an jene Räuber binden, die vereinbarte Grenzen und Gepflogenheiten achten. Denn wer innerhalb einer Schranke der Selbstzucht bleibt, kann auf seine Weise für viele annehmbar, ja sogar schützend werden.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights that even in morally compromised groups, restraint and adherence to agreed limits (samaya/maryādā) are recognized and can win social acceptance. The verse underscores the ethical value of non-violence and self-limitation as stabilizing forces in society.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Bhishma uses an illustrative example: some ‘good’ robbers steal but avoid violence and respect certain conventions. Because of this restraint, people may even feel goodwill toward them, acknowledging the practical protection or order such restraint can create.