Shloka 23
Go-dāna-phala-nirdeśa
Merit and Destinations from the Gift of Cows
यज्ञशूरा दमे शूरा: सत्यशूरास्तथापरे । युद्धशूरास्तथैवोक्ता दानशूराश्ष मानवा:
bhīṣma uvāca | yajñaśūrā dame śūrāḥ satyaśūrās tathāpare | yuddhaśūrās tathaivoktā dānaśūrāś ca mānavāḥ | (buddhiśūrās tathā cānye kṣamāśūrās tathā pare) |
Dijo Bhīṣma: «Entre los hombres, algunos son héroes en el sacrificio; a otros se les llama héroes del autodominio, porque son valientes al disciplinar los sentidos. Del mismo modo, se habla de héroes en la veracidad, héroes en la batalla y héroes en la generosidad; y también de héroes en la sabiduría y héroes en la paciencia.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Heroism is not limited to warfare; Bhīṣma broadens ‘śaurya’ to include moral and spiritual courage—steadfastness in sacrifice, self-restraint, truth, generosity, wisdom, and forgiveness—presenting these as equally worthy forms of excellence within dharma.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma is teaching about dharma and virtues. Here he classifies different kinds of ‘heroes’ among humans, emphasizing that society recognizes multiple domains of greatness beyond the battlefield.