Shloka 44
अध्याय ५७ — राज्ञः नित्यप्रयत्नः, रक्षा-प्रधानता, तथा त्याग-नीतिः
Chapter 57: Constant Royal Vigilance, Primacy of Protection, and Principles of Dismissal
षडेतान् पुरुषो जह्याद् भिन्नां नावमिवार्णवे । अप्रवक्तारमाचार्यमनधीयानमृत्विजम्
ṣaḍ etān puruṣo jahyād bhinnāṃ nāvam ivārṇave | apravaktāram ācāryam anadhīyānam ṛtvijam ||
Bhīṣma dit : De même qu’on abandonne, au milieu de l’océan, une barque disloquée, de même l’homme doit abandonner ces six-là : le maître qui n’enseigne pas, et le prêtre officiant (ṛtvij) qui ne récite (ou n’étudie) pas les mantras védiques. L’enseignement moral est ici un dharma de bon sens : les fonctions faites pour protéger, guider et soutenir la société deviennent des périls lorsqu’elles manquent à leur tâche essentielle ; s’y attacher mène au malheur, comme se fier à un esquif brisé en pleine mer.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not rely on people who fail at the essential duty of their role. A teacher must teach and a priest must properly recite/study the Veda; when they do not, association with them becomes dangerous or fruitless—like trusting a broken boat in the ocean.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and practical governance of life. Here he gives a proverbial rule: abandon dysfunctional supports, illustrated by the image of discarding a shattered boat at sea.