Shloka 12
Prahlāda–Indra Saṃvāda: Kartṛtva (Agency) and Svabhāva (Nature) in the Causation of Karma
वाकृप्रबद्धो हि संसारो विरागाद् व्याहरेद् यदि । बुद्धयाप्यनुगृहीतेन मनसा कर्म तामसम्
vākṛprabaddho hi saṃsāro virāgād vyāhared yadi | buddhyāpy anugṛhītena manasā karma tāmasam ||
Bhīṣma dit : «L’asservissement au monde est, en vérité, rivé par la parole et la conduite ; c’est pourquoi il faut toujours parler noblement. Et si l’on a atteint le détachement, alors—ayant maîtrisé l’esprit avec l’aide de l’intellect discernant—il convient même de révéler ses propres actes tamasiques (tāmasika), tels que la violence ; car lorsque la faute est mise au grand jour, son poids s’allège et la voie de la purification s’affermit».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Speech and behavior can bind one to saṃsāra; therefore cultivate noble speech. With vairāgya and the guidance of buddhi, restrain the mind and openly acknowledge tamasic wrongs, since disclosure supports purification and lessens the weight of sin.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhishma advises the listener that worldly entanglement is reinforced through speech, and he recommends controlled, truthful, elevating speech along with candid admission of past harmful deeds as part of ethical reform.