Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 74
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
आपन्नश्चापदो मुच्येद् बद्धो मुच्येत बन्धनात् | मुच्येत्तथा55तुरो रोगाद् दुःखान्मुच्येत दु:खित:
āpannaś cāpado mucyed baddho mucyeta bandhanāt | mucyet tathāturo rogād duḥkhān mucyeta duḥkhitaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: Even one who has fallen into calamity is freed from calamity; one who is bound is released from bondage; likewise, the sick is freed from disease, and the sorrowful is freed from sorrow. The ethical force of the statement is that the hearing or recitation of this sacred teaching is presented as a practical refuge—restoring steadiness, hope, and dharmic orientation amid distress.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That attentive hearing or recitation of the praised dharmic teaching is portrayed as a powerful remedy: it brings release from external crises (danger, imprisonment) and internal afflictions (disease, grief), emphasizing faith, moral steadiness, and the transformative efficacy of sacred discourse.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he highlights the beneficial results attributed to listening to or reading the preceding sacred instruction—describing it as a means of deliverance for those facing danger, bondage, illness, or sorrow.