Shloka 49
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
अन्निदैर्गरदैश्वैव प्रतिरूपककारकै: । श्रेणिमुख्योपजापेन वीरुधश्छेदनेन च
annidair garadaiś caiva pratirūpakakārakaiḥ | śreṇimukhyopajāpena vīrudhaś chedanena ca
Bhīṣma dijo: «Por obra de incendiarios, de envenenadores, de fabricantes de mercancías falsificadas; por la corrupta captación de los jefes de los gremios; y por el corte de enredaderas y plantas—(tales actos se cuentan entre las faltas más graves).»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma identifies destructive and deceitful acts—arson, poisoning, counterfeiting, corrupt manipulation of guild leadership, and wanton destruction of vegetation—as serious ethical violations because they endanger life, erode trust, and damage communal welfare.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma is listing categories of harmful wrongdoing, moving from direct physical threats (fire, poison) to economic deception (counterfeiting, corrupt guild influence) and finally to damage of shared natural resources (cutting plants/creepers).