Shloka 178
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
“जो बलवान् और पापी हो, वह शान्तभावसे रहता हो तो भी मुझे सदा उससे डरना चाहिये। यदि तुम्हें मुझसे कोई स्वार्थ सिद्ध नहीं करना है तो बताओ मैं तुम्हारा (इसके अतिरिक्त) कौन-सा कार्य करूँ? ।। काम सर्व प्रदास्यामि न त्वा55त्मानं कदाचन । आत्मार्थे संततिस्त्याज्या राज्यं रत्नं धनानि च
kāmaṃ sarvaṃ pradāsyāmi na tvātmānaṃ kadācana | ātmārthe santatis tyājyā rājyaṃ ratnaṃ dhanāni ca ||
Bhīṣma said: “I will grant you whatever you desire—everything—yet I will never give up my own self (my integrity and rightful autonomy). For the sake of one’s own true good, even one’s progeny may have to be renounced, and likewise kingdom, jewels, and wealth.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One may concede external possessions—even the most valued worldly assets—but should not surrender the self: one’s moral agency, integrity, and dharmic autonomy. When higher self-interest (ātmārtha) is at stake, even attachments to lineage, sovereignty, and wealth may need to be relinquished.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and ethics, Bhishma addresses a request or demand placed upon him. He draws a boundary: he is willing to grant material or practical boons, but he refuses anything that would compromise his essential self or dharma, emphasizing the priority of inner integrity over external power and possessions.