Shloka 7
Virūpākṣa’s Dāna and Gautama’s Burden — the approach of Rājadharma
हिंसाविहार: सततमविशेषगुणागुण: । बह्ललीको5मनस्वी च लुब्धो>त्यर्थ नृशंसकृत्
hiṃsāvihāraḥ satatam aviśeṣa-guṇāguṇaḥ | bahulālīko 'manasvī ca lubdho 'tyarthaṃ nṛśaṃsakṛt ||
Bhishma dit : «Ô roi, l’homme véritablement cruel est celui dont la vie est sans cesse vouée à la violence ; qui ne sait distinguer la vertu du vice ; qui est d’une tromperie excessive et d’un esprit sans stabilité ; et qui est d’une avidité extrême—devenant ainsi l’auteur d’actes impitoyables et inhumains.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma defines the ethical profile of a cruel person: habitual violence, inability to discern virtue from vice, persistent deceit, lack of mental steadiness, and extreme greed—these traits culminate in ruthless action and moral collapse.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhisthira, Bhishma continues a didactic description of harmful character-types, identifying the inner dispositions that lead a person to commit nṛśaṃsa (pitiless) deeds.