Shloka 33
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
क्रियमाणे5पवर्गे च यो द्विजो भरतर्षभ । न व्याहरति यद्युक्त तस्याधर्मो गवानृतम्
kriyamāṇe ’pavarge ca yo dvijo bharatarṣabha | na vyāharati yadyuktaṃ tasyādharmo gavānṛtam ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Oh toro entre los Bharata, si, mientras se realiza un rito destinado a asegurar el “apavarga” (la liberación), un dos veces nacido no pronuncia lo que es debido y prescrito, esa omisión se vuelve para él adharma: una falsedad tan grave como mentir acerca de una vaca.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In sacred contexts, especially rites aimed at spiritual uplift, silence or failure to recite what is duly prescribed is itself a breach of dharma; ethical responsibility includes speaking the right words at the right time.
Bhīṣma, instructing Yudhiṣṭhira in the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma teachings, emphasizes the moral weight of correct ritual speech: neglecting proper utterance during a liberation-oriented rite is counted as serious wrongdoing.