Shloka 20
Rājā–Rāja-Śabda-Prabhavaḥ — The Origin and Rationale of Kingship and Daṇḍanīti
अगम्यागमनं चैव वाच्यावाच्यं तथैव च । भक्ष्याभक्ष्यं च राजेन्द्र दोषादोषं च नात्यजन्,राजेन्द्र! उन्होंने अगम्यागमन, वाच्य-अवाच्य, भक्ष्य-अभक्ष्य तथा दोष-अदोष कुछ भी नहीं छोड़ा
agamya-āgamanaṃ caiva vācyāvācyaṃ tathaiva ca | bhakṣyābhakṣyaṃ ca rājendra doṣādoṣaṃ ca nātyajan ||
Bhishma dit : Ô le meilleur des rois, ils ne s’abstinrent de rien : aller vers des lieux et des personnes interdits, dire ce qui devait ou ne devait pas être dit, manger ce qui est permis ou défendu, accomplir des actes blâmables ou non. Dans leur conduite, aucune limite de bienséance ne demeura sans être franchie.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma requires discernment and restraint: one must know and uphold boundaries regarding forbidden association, proper speech, permissible food, and the distinction between blameworthy and blameless actions. Abandoning these distinctions leads to ethical collapse.
Bhīṣma, instructing the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) in Śānti Parva, describes a group’s degraded conduct: they no longer avoid prohibited acts and ignore moral and social discriminations, illustrating the consequences of losing dharmic discernment.