Shloka 13
Varṇa-lakṣaṇa and Ātma-saṃyama (Marks of Social Conduct and Self-Restraint) | वर्णलक्षणम् एवं आत्मसंयमः
सम्मानश्चावमानश्ष लाभालाभौ क्षयोदयौ । प्रवृत्ता विनिवर्तन्ते विधानान्ते पुनः पुन:
sammānaś cāvamānaś ca lābhālābhau kṣayodayau | pravṛttā vinivartante vidhānānte punaḥ punaḥ ||
Bhishma dit : «Honneur et déshonneur, gain et perte, déclin et essor—une fois mis en branle, ces états reviennent sans cesse lorsque le cours prescrit atteint son terme. Aussi ne faut-il pas être ébranlé par les contraires du monde, mais demeurer ferme dans le dharma, sachant que ces variations sont cycliques et gouvernées par l’ordre des choses.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly opposites—honor/dishonor, gain/loss, decline/rise—are not permanent. They recur in cycles and reverse when their allotted course ends; hence one should cultivate steadiness and not abandon dharma due to changing external conditions.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira on righteous conduct and mental steadiness after the war, emphasizing that social and material fortunes fluctuate according to the ordained order and should not disturb one’s ethical resolve.