दुराचारो हि पुरुषो नेहायुर्विन्दते महत् । त्रसन्ति यस्माद् भूतानि तथा परिभवन्ति च
durācāro hi puruṣo nehāyur vindate mahat | trasanti yasmād bhūtāni tathā paribhavanti ca ||
Bhishma said: “A man of corrupt conduct does not attain a long life in this world. For living beings tremble because of him, and he also comes to be scorned and humiliated in return.”
भीष्म उवाच
Bhishma teaches that immoral conduct is self-destructive: it shortens one’s well-being and standing in the world, because causing fear and harm to others rebounds as social contempt and downfall.
In Anushasana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira about ethical living, warning that a person who behaves cruelly and improperly becomes a source of fear to others and is consequently dishonored, failing to gain a long, stable life.