Shloka 6
Virūpākṣa’s Dāna and Gautama’s Burden — the approach of Rājadharma
सर्वातिशड्की पुरुषो बलीश: कृपणो5थवा । वर्गप्रशंसी सततमाश्रमद्वेषसंकरी
sarvātiśaṅkī puruṣo balīśaḥ kṛpaṇo ’thavā | varga-praśaṁsī satatam āśrama-dveṣa-saṅkarī ||
Bhishma dit : «Ô roi, l’homme dévoré par une suspicion excessive—stupide et vil—qui ne cesse de louer son propre clan, qui nourrit de la haine envers les āśramas (les disciplines ordonnées de la vie) et qui propage une confusion et un mélange social sapant l’ordre légitime : un tel homme doit être reconnu comme porté à une conduite cruelle et injuste.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma identifies inner dispositions that lead to nṛśaṃsa (cruel, unrighteous) behavior: chronic suspicion, foolishness, miserliness, factional self-praise, hostility to the āśrama-based disciplines of life, and actions that create social confusion. The verse teaches that ethical collapse is rooted in character traits, not merely isolated acts.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he continues a diagnostic list of traits by which one can recognize a person inclined toward harmful and cruel conduct, warning the king about such dispositions in society and governance.