Shloka 11
Vipulopākhyāna—Ruci-rakṣā and Śakra’s Māyā (विपुलोपाख्यानम्—रुचिरक्षणं शक्रमाया च)
अप्रामाण्यं च वेदानां शास्त्राणां चाभिलड्घनम् । अव्यवस्था च सर्वत्र एतान्नाशनमात्मन:
aprāmāṇyaṃ ca vedānāṃ śāstrāṇāṃ cābhilaṅghanam | avyavasthā ca sarvatra etān nāśanam ātmanaḥ ||
Bhishma said: To treat the Vedas as lacking authority, to transgress the injunctions of the śāstras, and to spread disorder everywhere—these are all causes that bring about one’s own ruin.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rejecting the authority of the Vedas, violating śāstric injunctions, and promoting disorder are not merely social faults; they are self-defeating actions that lead to one’s own downfall. Dharma is sustained by recognized sources of guidance and disciplined conduct.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he warns against attitudes and actions that undermine sacred authority and social-ethical order, emphasizing their destructive consequences for the individual.