Shloka 10
Brāhmaṇa-vandana: Criteria for Veneration, Disciplined Speech, and Protective Kingship (अनुशासनपर्व, अध्याय ८)
शक्यं होवाहवे योद्धं न दातुमनसूयितम्
śakyaṃ hovāhave yoddhaṃ na dātum anasūyitam
Bhīṣma said: In battle, it may be possible to find a warrior; but it is not possible to bestow—or to secure—one who is free from envy and fault-finding. Such a disposition cannot simply be given; it must be cultivated as a moral quality.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma contrasts external capability with inner virtue: martial skill may be obtained, but freedom from envy and fault-finding (anasūyā) is a rare ethical quality that cannot be simply ‘given’ by others; it must be developed through discipline and character.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on conduct (anuśāsana), he emphasizes the difficulty of finding truly noble-minded people. He notes that while warriors can be found for battle, a person devoid of envy and censoriousness is not something one can procure or confer at will.