Shloka 82
प्रथमं यः समाख्यात: शीलवानिति संसदि । न वाच्यं तस्य वैगुण्यं प्रतिज्ञां परिरक्षता,“पहले भरी सभामें शीलवान् कहकर जिसका परिचय दिया गया हो, प्रतिज्ञाकी रक्षा करनेवाले पुरुषको उसका दोष नहीं बताना चाहिये
prathamaṃ yaḥ samākhyātaḥ śīlavān iti saṃsadi | na vācyaṃ tasya vaiguṇyaṃ pratijñāṃ parirakṣatā |
Bhishma said: “If a man has first been introduced in the assembly as ‘of good conduct,’ then one who is intent on safeguarding his pledge should not speak of that man’s faults.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should practice restraint in speech: if someone has been publicly presented as virtuous, it is improper to later publicize his defects. A person committed to keeping a vow should avoid fault-finding that contradicts or undermines prior honorable testimony.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma lays down a rule of ethical conduct for discourse in an assembly: maintain consistency and integrity in public speech, and do not damage another’s reputation after having introduced him as a man of good character.