Devaśarmā–Vipula Dialogue on Ahorātra–Ṛtu as Moral Witnesses (अनुशासन पर्व, अध्याय ४३)
वाचा च वधबन्न्धैर्वा कक््लेशैर्वा विविधैस्तथा
vācā ca vadhabandhair vā kakleśair vā vividhaiḥ tathā
Bhishma berkata: “Baik dengan kata-kata yang kasar, atau dengan belenggu serta ancaman pembunuhan, ataupun dengan berbagai macam penderitaan dan siksaan—janganlah menindas orang lain.”
भीष्म उवाच
The verse highlights forms of harm—verbal cruelty, coercion through bondage or threat of death, and other kinds of suffering—implying that dharma requires restraint and compassion, avoiding oppression in word and deed.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing on dharma and proper conduct. Here he enumerates ways people may be injured—through speech, coercive restraint, or varied torments—within a broader ethical admonition against causing suffering.