Shloka 70
उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel
तस्मान्मौनेन मुनयो दीक्षां कुर्वन्ति चादृता: । दुरुक्तस्य भयाद् राजन् नाभाषन्ते च किंचन
tasmān maunena munayo dīkṣāṃ kurvanti cādṛtāḥ | duruktasya bhayād rājan nābhāṣante ca kiṃcana ||
Por ello, oh rey, los sabios emprenden con reverencia sus votos mediante el silencio. Temiendo el daño que puede nacer de palabras mal dichas, no pronuncian nada en absoluto.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Speech can easily become harmful when it is ill-chosen or harsh; therefore sages adopt silence as a disciplined vow, treating restraint of speech as an ethical safeguard and a form of spiritual consecration.
Bhīṣma instructs the king on dharma, explaining why ascetics value mauna (silence): out of reverence for their discipline and fear of the consequences of wrong speech, they refrain from speaking.