Shloka 70
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
कृताशं कृतनिर्देशं कृतभक्तं कृतश्रमम् । भेदैयें व्यपकर्षन्ति ते वै निरयगामिन:
kṛtāśaṃ kṛtanirdeśaṃ kṛtabhaktaṃ kṛtaśramam | bhedair enaṃ vyapakarṣanti te vai nirayagāminaḥ ||
Bhishma said: Those who, by sowing dissension, cause a hardworking servant—who has been kept on wages, given hope of payment, and assigned a fixed time—to be driven out from his master’s service before that time is fulfilled, surely become destined for hell. This teaching condemns exploiting labor through deceit and intrigue as a grave breach of dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
It is adharma to manipulate a worker through false promises and then, using intrigue and division, deprive him of his rightful employment or expected payment; such exploitation is said to lead to severe karmic consequence (niraya).
In Bhishma’s instruction on righteous conduct, he condemns those who interfere between a master and a diligent servant—after giving the servant hope and fixed terms—by employing bheda (dissension) to get the servant expelled before the agreed time.