Shloka 23
Sandhi–Vigraha in Āpada: The Mouse and the Cat (सन्धिविग्रहापदि—मूषकमार्जारसंवादः)
भीष्म उवाच ते सर्वमेवानुचक्रु: कायव्यस्यानुशासनम् । वृद्धि च लेभिरे सर्वे पापेभ्यश्षाप्युपारमन्
bhīṣma uvāca te sarvam evānucakruḥ kāyavyasyānuśāsanam | vṛddhiṃ ca lebhire sarve pāpebhyaś cāpy uparaman ||
Bhishma said: “O King, having heard this, those dāsyus accepted and faithfully followed all of Kāyavya’s instructions. As a result, they all prospered, and they also desisted from sinful deeds.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Right guidance (anuśāsana) sincerely followed leads to tangible uplift (vṛddhi) and moral purification—people can abandon pāpa when they accept discipline and consistently practice it.
Bhishma reports to the king that the dāsyus, after hearing Kāyavya, adopted his instructions, continued to follow them, gained prosperity, and stopped engaging in sinful actions.