Shloka 9
नृशंस-लक्षणनिर्णयः | Determining the Marks of Cruel Conduct
Nṛśaṃsa
तस्माद् वैरं न कुर्वीत दुर्बलो बलवत्तरै: | शोचेद्धि वैरं कुर्वाणो यथा वै शाल्मलिस्तथा,अतः: दुर्बल मनुष्य बलवानोंके साथ वैर न करे। यदि वह करता है तो सेमलके समान ही शोचनीय दशाको पहुँचकर शोकमग्न होता है
tasmād vairaṃ na kurvīta durbalo balavattaraiḥ | śoced dhi vairaṃ kurvāṇo yathā vai śālmalis tathā ||
Darum soll der Schwache keine Feindschaft mit Stärkeren beginnen. Denn wer dennoch Hass entfacht, wird gewiss ins Unglück stürzen und in erbarmungswürdigem Zustand klagen – wie der śālmalī-Baum.
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches practical dharma: a weaker person should avoid initiating hostility against stronger opponents, because such enmity predictably ends in suffering and regret for the weaker party.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on ethics and statecraft after the war. Here he offers a cautionary maxim about power imbalance in conflicts, illustrated with the proverbial comparison to the śālmali tree.