Shloka 27
Mantri-Parīkṣā — Testing Ministers, Securing Counsel, and Ethical Criteria for Advisers (अध्याय ८४)
तथैवानभिजातो<पि काममस्तु बहुश्रुत: । अनायक इवाचक्षुर्मुहात्यणुषु कर्मसु
tathaivānabhijāto ’pi kāmam astu bahuśrutaḥ | anāyaka ivācakṣur muhyaty aṇuṣu karmasu ||
Bhishma said: Even so, a man who is not well-born—though he may be learned in many scriptures—becomes bewildered even in small matters, like an army without a leader or a person without sight; he fails to discern what ought to be done and what ought not to be done.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Scriptural learning alone is insufficient for right conduct; without the stabilizing guidance of proper formation (and the capacity for discernment), a person may still be confused about duty and non-duty even in minor practical situations.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira, using two similes—an army without a commander and a blind person—to illustrate how mere learning, without the qualities that enable sound judgment, leads to confusion in action.