Shloka 7
Adhyāya 9: Pratiśruta-Dāna
The Duty to Fulfill Promised Gifts
अपि चोदाहरन्तीमं धर्मशास्त्रविदो जना: । अश्वानां श्यामकर्णानां सहस्रेण स मुच्यते
api codāharantīmaṁ dharmaśāstravido janāḥ | aśvānāṁ śyāmakarṇānāṁ sahasreṇa sa mucyate ||
भीष्म बोले— और भी, धर्मशास्त्र के विद्वान इस उदाहरण का उल्लेख करते हैं: जो पुरुष प्रतिज्ञा-भंग के पाप में पड़ गया हो, वह श्यामकर्ण घोड़ों का एक हजार दान करके उस दोष से मुक्त हो जाता है।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Breaking a vow is treated as a serious ethical fault, but Dharmaśāstra recognizes structured atonement: a prescribed act of dāna (here, gifting a thousand dark-eared horses) is presented as a means to remove the moral taint and restore dharmic standing.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he supports his counsel by citing what Dharmaśāstra authorities say—offering a specific, traditional expiation for vow-breaking, framed as an authoritative example.