Shloka 21
Śuka’s Nirveda: Vyāsa’s Admonition on Dharma, Impermanence, and ‘Imperishable Wealth’ (अक्षय-धन)
अधृतात्मन् धृतौ तिष्ठ दुर्बुद्धे बुद्धिमान् भव । अप्रशान्त: प्रशाम्य त्वमप्राज्ञ: प्राज्ञवच्चर,अधीरचित्त नरेश! धीरताका आश्रय लो। दुर्बुद्धे! बुद्धिमानू बनो। तुम सदा अशान्त रहते हो। अबसे शान्त हो जाओ और अबतक मूर्खोके-से बर्ताव करते रहे, अब विद्दानोंके समान आचरण करो
adhṛtātman dhṛtau tiṣṭha durbuddhe buddhimān bhava | apraśāntaḥ praśāmya tvam aprājñaḥ prājñavac cara ||
Bhishma said: “O unsteady-minded one, stand firm in self-control. O misguided one, become wise. You have remained restless—now calm yourself. You have acted like the ignorant—now conduct yourself like the truly discerning.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma urges inner discipline: stabilize the mind through dhṛti (steadfast self-control), abandon agitation, and replace ignorant, impulsive behavior with the conduct of the wise—an ethical prerequisite for righteous rule and right action.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma is delivering moral and political counsel. Here he directly admonishes his listener (a ruler/royal addressee implied by the wider context) to restrain the mind, become calm, and act with discernment rather than folly.