Shloka 14
कपोती-विलापः स्वर्गसंयोगश्च
The Dove’s Lament and Celestial Reunion
ये नृशंसा दुरात्मान: प्राणिप्राणहरा नरा: । उद्बवेजनीया भूतानां व्याला इव भवन्ति ते
ye nṛśaṃsā durātmānaḥ prāṇiprāṇaharā narāḥ | udvejanīyā bhūtānāṃ vyālā iva bhavanti te ||
Bhishma dit : Ceux qui sont cruels, au cœur mauvais, et qui ôtent la vie aux êtres vivants, deviennent pour toutes les créatures des objets de crainte et de dégoût—tels des serpents venimeux. L’enseignement est que la violence née de la cruauté isole l’homme de la communauté morale : une telle vie le rend universellement redouté plutôt que respecté.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Cruelty and the taking of life make a person universally feared and shunned; ethical conduct (especially restraint from harming beings) is essential for social trust and moral standing.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he characterizes violent, cruel men as comparable to serpents—creatures that all beings instinctively avoid—highlighting the social and moral consequences of such behavior.