Shloka 43
श्रोतव्यं खलु वृद्धानां नाभिशड्कीर्वचो मम । नाशयिष्यसि मा सर्वमात्मानं पृथिवीं तथा,तुम्हें बड़े-बूढ़ोंकी बातें सुननी चाहिये। मेरी बातपर शंका न करो, नहीं तो तुम सबको, अपनेको और इस भूतलको भी नष्ट कर दोगे
śrotavyaṃ khalu vṛddhānāṃ nābhiśaṅkīr vaco mama | nāśayiṣyasi mā sarvam ātmānaṃ pṛthivīṃ tathā ||
One must indeed listen to the counsel of elders. Do not doubt my words; otherwise you will bring ruin upon everything—upon yourself, upon all around you, and even upon the earth itself.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Respect for dharmic counsel: a ruler should heed experienced elders and avoid suspicious doubt toward well-meant advice, because rejecting such guidance leads to self-destruction and wider social ruin.
Bhīṣma, speaking as an elder statesman, warns the addressee (in this context, the Kuru leadership) to accept his counsel without mistrust; he frames the stakes as catastrophic—personal downfall and the devastation of the whole realm/world.