Shloka 78
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
धर्मोपदेश करनेवाले पुरुषसे यदि कोई प्रश्न करे तो उसे देरतक सोच-विचार कर ही उत्तर देना चाहिये। ऐसा करनेसे उसको देरतक पश्चात्ताप नहीं करना पड़ता है ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | dharmopadeśa-karaṇe vāle puruṣa-se yadi kaścid praśnaṃ karet, tarhi tasmai dīrghaṃ cintayitvā eva uttaraṃ dātavyaṃ | evaṃ kṛte tasya dīrgha-kālaṃ paścāt-tāpo na bhavati || upāsyā bahulās tasminn āśrame sumahā-tapāḥ | samāḥ svargaṃ gato vipraḥ putreṇa sahitas tadā ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Si quelqu’un interroge un homme qui enseigne le dharma, il ne doit répondre qu’après une longue réflexion. En répondant ainsi, il n’a pas, plus tard, à tomber dans un regret durable. Dans cet ermitage même, durant de nombreuses années, on servit et l’on honora quantité d’ascètes vénérables et de grande austérité ; puis le brahmane—Gautama, brahmarṣi d’une pénitence immense—s’en alla au ciel avec son fils, Cirakārī.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A teacher of dharma should answer questions only after careful, extended reflection; measured speech prevents later remorse and protects the integrity of moral instruction.
After stating the ethical rule about thoughtful replies, the verse situates the teaching within the account of the sage Gautama: he lived for many years in his hermitage among many revered ascetics and later attained heaven together with his son Cirakārī.