Shloka 9
कुण्डधारोपाख्यानम्
Kuṇḍadhāra-Upākhyāna: Dharma’s Superiority over Wealth and Desire
वाग्वृद्धं त्रायते श्रद्धा मनोवृद्धं च भारत । श्रद्धावृद्धं वाइमनसी न कर्म त्रातुमहति
vāg-vṛddhaṃ trāyate śraddhā mano-vṛddhaṃ ca bhārata | śraddhā-vṛddhaṃ vāimanasi na karma trātum arhati ||
Bhīṣma said: “O Bhārata, faith can rescue a rite that is flawed in speech—such as imperfect mantra-recitation—and also one that is flawed in mind—such as wavering attention. But when a rite is flawed due to lack of faith, then speech and mind—however correct—are not fit to protect it.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śraddhā (faithful inner assent) is the decisive support of dharmic action: it can compensate for defects in speech (imperfect mantra) and mind (unstable concentration), but if faith itself is absent, mere technical correctness of recitation or mental procedure cannot safeguard the act.
In the Śānti Parva instruction-setting, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he emphasizes the primacy of inner faith over external precision in religious or ethical performance.