Shloka 5
उपवासविधि-प्रश्नः
Inquiry into the Discipline of Fasting
प्रत्यक्ष भिन्नहृदया भेदयेयु: कृतं नरा: । श्रियाभितप्ता: कौन्तेय भेदकामास्तथारय:
pratyakṣa-bhinnahṛdayā bhedayeyuḥ kṛtaṃ narāḥ | śriyābhitaptāḥ kaunteya bhedakāmās tathārayāḥ ||
Bhishma dit : «Si l’aîné inflige au grand jour un châtiment pour une faute, le cœur des cadets se déchire et se blesse ; puis ils répandent parmi les gens ce traitement rude. Voyant leur prospérité, bien des ennemis—brûlant d’envie, ô fils de Kuntî—se mettent à désirer et à tenter de semer la dissension entre eux.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Discipline should be administered with discretion: public, harsh punishment within a family can fracture hearts and invite outsiders—especially envious enemies—to exploit the resulting resentment and create lasting divisions.
In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira on conduct and governance, he warns that when an elder brother punishes a younger brother openly, the younger may feel humiliated and publicize the grievance; this makes the family vulnerable to enemies who, jealous of their prosperity, seek to foment discord.