Shloka 29
भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या
Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa
न द्वितीयस्य शिरसश्छेदनं विद्यते क्वचित् । न च पाणेस्तृतीयस्य यन्नास्ति न ततो भयम्
na dvitīyasya śirasaś chedanaṁ vidyate kvacit | na ca pāṇes tṛtīyasya yan nāsti na tato bhayam ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Nul ne craint qu’on lui tranche une seconde tête, ni une troisième main, car de telles choses n’existent pas. La peur ne naît pas de l’irréel ; elle ne surgit que là où il y a un fondement véritable.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Fear should be grounded in reality: what does not exist cannot be a true cause of fear. The verse discourages anxiety born of imagination and urges clear discernment of what is real.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right understanding. Here he uses a simple analogy—no one fears losing a second head or third hand—to show that fear depends on an actual, existent object.