Shloka 5
यच्च तस्य हुतं किंचिद् दत्तं वा भरतर्षभ । तपस्तप्तमथो वापि सर्व तस्योपहन्यते,भरतनन्दन! जीव जिस रातको जन्म लेता है और जिस रातको उसकी मौत होती है-- इन दोनों रात्रियोंके बीचमें जीवनभर वह जो-जो पुण्यकर्म करता है, भरतश्रेष्ठ! उसने आजीवन जो कुछ होम, दान तथा तप किया होता है, उसका वह सब कुछ उस प्रतिज्ञा- भंगके पापसे नष्ट हो जाता है
yac ca tasya hutaṁ kiñcid dattaṁ vā bharatarṣabha | tapas taptam atho vāpi sarvaṁ tasyopahanyate ||
Bhishma said: O bull among the Bharatas, whatever he has offered in sacrifice, whatever he has given in charity, and whatever austerity he has practiced—everything of his is ruined. The sin of breaking a solemn vow destroys the merit accumulated between birth and death, nullifying lifelong acts of worship, giving, and self-discipline.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Keeping one’s vow is a central requirement of dharma; breaking a solemn promise carries such moral weight that it can negate the spiritual merit gained through sacrifice, charity, and austerity.
In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhishthira in the Anushasana Parva, he emphasizes the grave consequence of vow-breaking, stating that it destroys the fruits of a person’s lifelong religious and ethical practices.