Shloka 171
शुश्रूषां यतसे कर्तु सखे मम न तत् क्षमम् । “सखे! तुम जो बाल-बच्चोंके बीचमें बैठकर मुझपर संधिका भाव दिखा रहे हो तथा मेरी सेवा करनेका यत्न करते हो, वह सब मेरे योग्य नहीं है ।।
śuśrūṣāṃ yatase kartuṃ sakhe mama na tat kṣamam | tvayā māṃ sahitaṃ dṛṣṭvā priyā bhāryā sutāś ca te ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ami, tu t’efforces de me servir, mais cela ne sied pas à ma condition. En me voyant ainsi, ton épouse bien-aimée et tes enfants aussi sont accablés.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes propriety and restraint: even well-meant service should be offered in a way that is fitting to the recipient and does not create undue burden or distress for the caregiver’s family. Ethical action includes sensitivity to context and consequences.
Bhīṣma addresses a friend who is trying to serve him. Bhīṣma declines, saying such attendance is not appropriate for him, and notes that the friend’s wife and children, seeing Bhīṣma’s condition, are also affected—highlighting the wider human cost around acts of care.