Shloka 30
Vimokṣa-niścaya: Pañcaśikha’s Analysis of Aggregates, Guṇas, and Tyāga (मोक्षनिर्णयः)
अथवा मन्त्रवद्ब्रूयुरात्मादानाय दुष्कृतम् । स वै हेतुरनादाने शुद्धरर्मानुपालने
athavā mantravad brūyur ātmādānāya duṣkṛtam | sa vai hetur anādāne śuddha-dharmānupālane
Or, they may declare—solemnly, as if reciting a sacred formula—that a misdeed is to be ‘taken upon oneself’ (confessed and owned). For such acceptance becomes the very cause for not repeating the fault and for faithfully maintaining pure dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Owning one’s wrongdoing—openly and solemnly—functions as a moral remedy: it prevents repetition of the fault and supports steady adherence to pure dharma.
Bhīṣma, instructing on dharma in the Śānti Parva, explains a principle of ethical correction: confession/acceptance of misdeeds (spoken with mantra-like seriousness) becomes a cause for restraint and renewed commitment to righteous conduct.