Shloka 17
सभा-पर्यवसान-प्रस्थानवचनम् | Counsel at the Point of Departure
मैं तो धर्मका स्वरूप सूक्ष्म और गहन होनेके कारण तथा इस धर्मनिर्णयके कार्यके अत्यन्त गुरुतर होनेसे तुम्हारे इस प्रश्नका निश्चितरूपसे यथार्थ विवेचन नहीं कर सकता ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | ahaṁ tu dharmasya svarūpaṁ sūkṣmaṁ gahanaṁ ca, dharmanirṇayasya cāsya kāryasya atyanta-gurutvāt, tava praśnasya niścitarūpeṇa yathārthaṁ vivecanaṁ na śaknomi || nūnam antaḥkulasya ayaṁ bhavitā na cirād iva | tathā hi kuravaḥ sarve lobha-moha-parāyaṇāḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Karena hakikat dharma itu halus dan mendalam, dan karena memutuskan perkara dharma ini adalah tugas yang amat berat, aku tidak dapat memberi uraian yang pasti dan sepenuhnya tepat atas pertanyaanmu. Namun tampaknya pasti bahwa akhir wangsa ini akan datang segera—sebab semua Kuru telah dikuasai oleh keserakahan dan delusi.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not always straightforward: its true nature can be subtle and difficult to judge, especially in high-stakes conflicts. When leaders and a community become dominated by greed (lobha) and delusion (moha), ethical discernment collapses and collective ruin becomes imminent.
In the Sabha Parva’s tense court context, Bhishma responds to an ethical question by admitting the difficulty of giving a definitive ruling on dharma. He then warns that the Kuru house is heading toward near-term destruction because the Kurus have surrendered to greed and delusion.