Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 11
भीष्म उवाच धर्मस्य द्वियमाणस्य बलवद्/िद्दुरात्मभि: । संस्था यत्नैरपि कृता कालेन प्रतिभिद्यते
bhīṣma uvāca | dharmasya dvyamāṇasya balavadbhir durātmabhiḥ | saṃsthā yatnair api kṛtā kālena pratibhidyate ||
Bhishma said: When dharma is being assailed by powerful, wicked men, even a system of protection and order established with great effort by ordinary people is, in the course of time, broken apart.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma cannot be safeguarded merely by well-meant arrangements; when powerful immoral forces actively undermine it, even carefully built protections collapse over time. Sustaining dharma requires both moral strength and vigilance against corrupt power.
In his instruction, Bhishma reflects on the fragility of righteous order: he warns that when strong but wicked people begin damaging dharma, the protective measures created by ordinary people—even with sincere effort—eventually get broken by the pressure of time and circumstance.