Shloka 7
अध्याय ५७ — राज्ञः नित्यप्रयत्नः, रक्षा-प्रधानता, तथा त्याग-नीतिः
Chapter 57: Constant Royal Vigilance, Primacy of Protection, and Principles of Dismissal
गुरोरप्यवलिप्तस्य कार्याकार्यमजानत: । उत्पथप्रतिपन्नस्य दण्डो भवति शाश्वत:,“घमंडमें भरकर कर्तव्य और अकर्तव्यका ज्ञान न रखनेवाला तथा कुमार्गपर चलनेवाला मुनष्य यदि अपना गुरु हो तो उसे भी दण्ड देनेका सनातन विधान है'
guror apy avaliptasya kāryākāryam ajānataḥ | utpatha-pratipannasya daṇḍo bhavati śāśvataḥ ||
Bhishma teaches that even a guru is not beyond accountability: if, swollen with arrogance, he cannot discern what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, and has strayed onto a wrongful path, then the timeless rule is that punishment may rightly be applied even to him. Dharma stands higher than status; authority without right conduct forfeits its immunity.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
No social or spiritual status grants exemption from dharma: if a guru becomes arrogant, loses discernment of duty and prohibition, and follows a wrongful path, then applying lawful punishment is upheld as an ancient, enduring rule.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Bhishma lays down a normative principle for rulers and society: discipline (daṇḍa) is meant to protect righteousness, and it may extend even to revered figures like a guru when their conduct becomes harmful and adharma-driven.