Shloka 8
Kṛṣṇasya Karṇam Prati Sāntvavacana
Kṛṣṇa’s Conciliatory Address to Karṇa
वार्यमाणो$पि पापेभ्य: पापात्मा पापमिच्छति । चोद्यमानो5पि पापेन शुभात्मा शुभमिच्छति,पापात्मा मनुष्यको पापोंसे रोका जाय तो भी वह पाप ही करना चाहता है और जिसका हृदय शुभ संकल्पसे युक्त है, वह पुण्यात्मा पुरुष किसी पापीके द्वारा पापके लिये प्रेरित होनेपर भी शुभ कर्म करनेकी ही इच्छा रखता है
vāryamāṇo 'pi pāpebhyaḥ pāpātmā pāpam icchati | codyamāno 'pi pāpena śubhātmā śubham icchati ||
Bhīṣma said: Even when restrained from sinful acts, a sinful-minded person still longs to commit sin. And even when urged toward sin by a sinner, a person of auspicious nature continues to desire only what is good.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person’s inner disposition governs moral choice: the wicked tend toward wrongdoing even when checked, while the virtuous tend toward good even when tempted or pressured toward sin.
Bhīṣma is instructing on dharma and human nature during the Udyoga Parva context, emphasizing that external restraint or provocation is secondary to one’s ingrained character (pāpātmā vs. śubhātmā).