Shloka 146
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
मातुला भागिनेयाश्व तथा सम्बन्धिबान्धवा: । “माता-पिता, पुत्र, मामा, भांजे, सम्बन्धी तथा बन्धु-बान्धव-इन सबमें स्वार्थके सम्बन्धसे ही स्नेह होता है ।। पुत्र हि मातापितरौ त्यजत: पतितं प्रियम्
mātulā bhāgineyāś ca tathā sambandhi-bāndhavāḥ | mātā-pitarau putro māmā bhāñjaḥ sambandhī tathā bandhu-bāndhavāḥ—eteṣu sarveṣu svārtha-sambandhenaiva sneho bhavati || putro hi mātā-pitarau tyajataḥ patitaṁ priyam |
Bhishma sprach: „Mütterliche Onkel und Neffen, ebenso Verwandte und Sippenangehörige: Zwischen Mutter und Vater, Sohn, Onkel, Neffe, Verwandtschaft und Familienband entsteht Zuneigung gemeinhin nur insoweit, als Eigeninteresse im Spiel ist. Ja, selbst ein Sohn kann seine geliebten Eltern verlassen, wenn sie ins Unglück geraten.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights a hard ethical realism: ordinary worldly affection within families often depends on perceived benefit; when fortune turns, even close relations may withdraw. The implied counsel is to ground one’s conduct in dharma rather than relying on unstable, interest-based attachment.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma continues a reflective discourse on social bonds and moral conduct, using the example of family relationships to illustrate how attachment can be conditional and why a dharmic person should cultivate steadiness and discernment.