Shloka 5
Adhyāya 9: Pratiśruta-Dāna
The Duty to Fulfill Promised Gifts
यच्च तस्य हुतं किंचिद् दत्तं वा भरतर्षभ । तपस्तप्तमथो वापि सर्व तस्योपहन्यते
yac ca tasya hutaṁ kiñcid dattaṁ vā bharatarṣabha | tapas taptam atho vāpi sarvaṁ tasyopahanyate ||
Bhishma dit : Ô taureau parmi les Bharata, tout ce qu’il a offert dans le sacrifice, tout ce qu’il a donné en aumône, et toute austérité qu’il a pratiquée—tout est ruiné. Le péché de rompre un vœu solennel détruit le mérite amassé entre la naissance et la mort, rendant vains les actes de culte, de don et de maîtrise de soi d’une vie entière.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Keeping one’s vow is a central requirement of dharma; breaking a solemn promise carries such moral weight that it can negate the spiritual merit gained through sacrifice, charity, and austerity.
In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhishthira in the Anushasana Parva, he emphasizes the grave consequence of vow-breaking, stating that it destroys the fruits of a person’s lifelong religious and ethical practices.