Shloka 20
चिरकारि-उपाख्यानम् / The Exemplum of Cirakārī: Deliberation Before Irreversible Action
यवन्यैर्विह्िितं नेच्छेदात्मन: कर्म पूरुष: । न तत् परेषु कुर्वीत जानन्नप्रियमात्मन:
yad anyair vihitaṁ necched ātmanaḥ karma pūruṣaḥ | na tat pareṣu kurvīta jānann apriyam ātmanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Qu’un homme ne souhaite pas pour lui-même la conduite que d’autres lui imposent et qu’il juge indésirable. Sachant ce qui lui est pénible, qu’il n’agisse pas de la sorte envers autrui ; car ce qui déplaît à soi ne saurait, en vérité, plaire à un autre.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
It teaches the principle of reciprocity in dharma: recognizing what is unpleasant to oneself, one should refrain from treating others in the same harmful or unwanted way.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct after the war; here he gives a concise ethical rule for interpersonal behavior grounded in empathy and self-awareness.