Shloka 20
Śvetadvīpa-varṇana and Śāstra-pravartana (Śānti Parva 322)
अलमन्यैरुपालब्धै: कीर्तितिश्न व्यतिक्रमै: | पेशलं चानुरूपं च कर्तव्यं हितमात्मन:
alam anyaiḥ upālabdhaiḥ kīrtitiśna vyatikramaiḥ | peśalaṃ cānurūpaṃ ca kartavyaṃ hitam ātmanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: There is no purpose in censuring others or in repeatedly recounting the various transgressions people commit. One should instead do that action which is graceful, fitting to the situation, and understood to be beneficial for oneself.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Avoid the habit of blaming others and publicizing their faults; focus instead on performing actions that are refined, appropriate, and truly beneficial for one’s own welfare—ethical self-correction over fault-finding.
In the Shanti Parva’s dharma-instruction setting, Bhishma continues advising on right conduct, emphasizing restraint in speech and attention to one’s own proper, beneficial action rather than criticizing others’ misdeeds.