Shloka 4
Adhyāya 9: Pratiśruta-Dāna
The Duty to Fulfill Promised Gifts
यां रात्रि जायते जीवो यां रात्रि च विनश्यति । एतस्मिन्नन्तरे यद् यत् सुकृतं तस्य भारत
bhīṣma uvāca |
yāṃ rātri jāyate jīvo yāṃ rātri ca vinaśyati |
etasminn antare yad yat sukṛtaṃ tasya bhārata bharatanandana |
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai keturunan Bharata, malam ketika makhluk lahir dan malam ketika ia binasa—di antara dua malam itu, segala kebajikan yang ia lakukan sepanjang hidup, segala yang ia capai melalui yajña, derma, dan tapa, lenyap oleh dosa melanggar ikrar suci.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma stresses the ethical gravity of keeping one’s pledged word: a single breach of a solemn vow can nullify the spiritual fruits of a lifetime of meritorious acts such as sacrifice, charity, and austerity.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instructional setting, Bhishma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and frames human life as the interval between birth-night and death-night, using that span to emphasize how vow-breaking can overwhelm accumulated merit.