Shloka 60
Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances
शुचेरपि हि युक्तस्य दोष एव निपात्यते । मुनेरपि वनस्थस्य स्वानि कर्माणि कुर्वत:
śucer api hi yuktasya doṣa eva nipātyate | muner api vanasthasya svāni karmāṇi kurvataḥ |
Bhīṣma said: Even in the case of a pure and disciplined person, fault alone can still befall him. Even a sage dwelling in the forest, faithfully performing his own prescribed duties, is not entirely beyond the reach of blame or mishap.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes that moral life does not guarantee immunity from fault, blame, or adverse outcomes. Even the pure and self-controlled, even an ascetic faithfully performing svadharma, may still encounter doṣa—highlighting the subtlety of karma and the need for humility and vigilance in ethical conduct.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira by stressing the complexity of righteous living: external purity, discipline, and even forest-ascetic practice do not automatically prevent the arising or attribution of दोष (fault).