Shloka 12
Prahlāda–Indra Saṃvāda: Kartṛtva (Agency) and Svabhāva (Nature) in the Causation of Karma
वाकृप्रबद्धो हि संसारो विरागाद् व्याहरेद् यदि । बुद्धयाप्यनुगृहीतेन मनसा कर्म तामसम्,संसारका सारा व्यवहार वाणीसे ही बँधा हुआ है, अतः सदा उत्तम वाणी ही बोले और यदि वैराग्य हो तो बुद्धिके द्वारा मनको वशमें करके अपने किये हुए हिंसादि तामस कर्मोंको भी लोगोंसे कह दे (क्योंकि प्रकाशित कर देनेसे पापकी मात्रा घट जाती है)
vākṛprabaddho hi saṃsāro virāgād vyāhared yadi | buddhyāpy anugṛhītena manasā karma tāmasam ||
Bhishma said: Worldly bondage is indeed fastened by speech and conduct; therefore one should always speak what is noble. And if one has attained dispassion, then—having brought the mind under control with the aid of the discerning intellect—one should even disclose one’s own tamasic deeds such as acts of violence; for when wrongdoing is brought into the open, its burden is diminished and the path to purification is strengthened.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Speech and behavior can bind one to saṃsāra; therefore cultivate noble speech. With vairāgya and the guidance of buddhi, restrain the mind and openly acknowledge tamasic wrongs, since disclosure supports purification and lessens the weight of sin.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhishma advises the listener that worldly entanglement is reinforced through speech, and he recommends controlled, truthful, elevating speech along with candid admission of past harmful deeds as part of ethical reform.