Shloka 10
Brāhmaṇa-vandana: Criteria for Veneration, Disciplined Speech, and Protective Kingship (अनुशासनपर्व, अध्याय ८)
शक्यं होवाहवे योद्धं न दातुमनसूयितम्
śakyaṃ hovāhave yoddhaṃ na dātum anasūyitam
Bhīṣma dit : Dans la bataille, il est peut-être possible de trouver un guerrier ; mais il n’est pas possible d’accorder (ni d’assurer) un homme exempt d’envie et de l’habitude de relever les fautes. Une telle disposition ne se donne pas : elle se cultive comme une vertu morale.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma contrasts external capability with inner virtue: martial skill may be obtained, but freedom from envy and fault-finding (anasūyā) is a rare ethical quality that cannot be simply ‘given’ by others; it must be developed through discipline and character.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on conduct (anuśāsana), he emphasizes the difficulty of finding truly noble-minded people. He notes that while warriors can be found for battle, a person devoid of envy and censoriousness is not something one can procure or confer at will.