Shloka 7
मोक्षधर्मः — स्नेहपाशच्छेदः
Mokṣa-dharma: Cutting the Bonds of Attachment
यदि कोई अपने प्रति अमर्यादित बात कहे--निन्दा या कटुवचन सुनाये तो उसके उन वचनोंको चुपचाप सह ले। किसीके प्रति अहंकार या घमंड न प्रकट करे। कोई क्रोध करे तो भी उससे प्रिय वचन ही बोले। यदि कोई गाली दे तो भी उसके प्रति हितकर वचन ही मुँहसे निकाले ।।
pradakṣiṇaṃ ca savyaṃ ca grāmamadhye ca nācaret | bhaikṣacaryām anāpanno na gacchet pūrvaketitaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: If someone speaks to you without restraint—reviling you or hurling bitter words—endure those words in silence. Show no pride or arrogance toward anyone. Even if another is angry, speak only what is pleasing; even if abused, let only beneficial words leave your mouth. And within the midst of a village, do not make ostentatious rounds—whether keeping to the right or the left. Nor, unless compelled by need, should you go about seeking alms; and you should not move about with prearranged signals or secret appointments.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Maintain modest, non-showy conduct in public: avoid conspicuous ritual-like circling in the village, do not beg unless necessity compels, and avoid secretive prearranged signaling—cultivating restraint, dignity, and transparency.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. This verse is part of practical guidance on disciplined behavior—how a person (especially one pursuing a restrained or ascetic life) should move and act within society.