Shloka 19
प्राज्लस्थ कर्माणि दुरन्वयानि न वै प्राज्ञो मुह्ति मोहकाले । स्थानाच्च्युतश्नेन्न मुमोह गौतम- स्तावत् कृच्छामापदं प्राप्य वृद्धः,विद्वान् पुरुषके सारे कार्य साधारण लोगोंके लिये दुर्बोध होते हैं। विद्वान् पुरुष मोहके अवसरपर भी मोहित नहीं होता। जैसे वृद्ध गौतममुनि अत्यन्त कष्टजनक विपत्तिमें पड़कर और पदच्युत होकर भी मोहित नहीं हुए
prājñastha-karmāṇi duranvayāni na vai prājño muhyati moha-kāle | sthānāc cyutaś cennamumoha gautamas tāvat kṛcchrām āpadaṁ prāpya vṛddhaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “The actions and ways of the truly wise are difficult for ordinary people to follow or even to comprehend. A wise person does not lose clarity even when delusion has an opening. Thus the sage Gautama, though old, did not fall into confusion even after being displaced from his position and struck by a grievous calamity.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True wisdom shows itself as steadiness of mind: even when circumstances invite confusion—loss of status, suffering, crisis—the discerning person does not succumb to moha (delusion). The conduct of the wise may appear difficult for common people to grasp, because it is guided by inner clarity rather than external upheaval.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhīṣma illustrates a principle with an example: the sage Gautama, though aged and facing a harsh misfortune and displacement, remained undeluded—serving as a model of composure and ethical clarity under pressure.