Shloka 71
उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel
राजन! इसीलिये ऋषि-मुनि मौनभावसे ही आदसरपूर्वक दीक्षा देते हैं। कोई अनुचित बात मुँहसे न निकल जाय, इसीके भयसे वे कोई भाषण नहीं देते हैं ।।
dhārmikā guṇasampannāḥ satyārjavasamanvitāḥ | duruktavācābhihitaiḥ prāpnuvantīha duṣkṛtam ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Por eso los ṛṣis y los munis confieren con reverencia la iniciación en silencio, temiendo que se escape de la boca alguna palabra impropia. Incluso los hombres rectos, ricos en virtudes, dotados de veracidad y sencillez, se hacen aquí acreedores de demérito cuando pronuncian palabras inconvenientes, contrarias a las śāstras.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Right speech is a crucial part of dharma: even virtuous people incur demerit if they speak improper, unscriptural, or harmful words; hence the wise practice restraint and sometimes teach or initiate in silence to avoid verbal fault.
Bhishma, instructing the king (Yudhishthira) in the Anushasana Parva, explains why sages value silence and caution in instruction: fear of uttering an inappropriate statement, which can generate moral fault even for the righteous.