Shloka 12
Umā’s Inquiry and the Manifestation of the Third Eye (उमा–प्रश्नः तृतीयनेत्रोत्पत्तिः)
असद वा हसितं किंचिदहितं वापि कर्मणा । रहस्यमरहस्यं वा न प्रवर्तामि सर्वथा
asad vā hasitaṃ kiñcid ahitaṃ vāpi karmaṇā | rahasyam arahasyaṃ vā na pravartāmi sarvathā ||
Aku tidak pernah melontarkan senda-gurau yang tidak patut kepada siapa pun, dan tidak pernah pula membiarkan tindakanku mencelakakan orang lain. Baik dalam sunyi maupun di hadapan khalayak—secara tersembunyi atau terang-terangan—aku sama sekali tidak menempuh perilaku yang tidak layak.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should maintain purity of conduct and speech: avoid indecent joking and avoid harming others through any action, behaving consistently the same in private and in public.
In his instruction on dharma, Bhishma presents a personal ethical standard—claiming he never engaged in improper humor or harmful deeds, and that his conduct did not change based on whether the setting was private or public.