Shloka 15
Kośa-saṃjanana and Subtle Dharma
Treasury Formation and Fine-Grained Ethics
यथा सद्धिः परादानमहिंसा दस्युभि: कृता । अनुरज्यन्ति भूतानि समयदिषु दस्युषु,दस्युओंमें भी मर्यादा होती है, जैसे अच्छे डाकू दूसरोंका धन तो लूटते हैं, परंतु हिंसा नहीं करते (किसीकी इज्जत नहीं लेते)। जो मर्यादाका ध्यान रखते हैं, उन लुटेरोंमें बहुत-से प्राणी स्नेह भी करते हैं, (क्योंकि उनके द्वारा बहुतोंकी रक्षा भी होती है)
yathā saddhiḥ parādānam ahiṃsā dasyubhiḥ kṛtā | anurajyanti bhūtāni samayādiṣu dasyuṣu ||
Bhīṣma said: “Just as even among bandits there can be a code of conduct—when ‘good’ robbers take others’ wealth yet refrain from violence—so living beings may even grow attached to bandits who observe agreed limits and conventions. For those who keep to a boundary of restraint can, in their own way, become acceptable and even protective to many.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights that even in morally compromised groups, restraint and adherence to agreed limits (samaya/maryādā) are recognized and can win social acceptance. The verse underscores the ethical value of non-violence and self-limitation as stabilizing forces in society.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Bhishma uses an illustrative example: some ‘good’ robbers steal but avoid violence and respect certain conventions. Because of this restraint, people may even feel goodwill toward them, acknowledging the practical protection or order such restraint can create.