Shloka 20
Adhyāya 164: Gautama as Guest; Kaśyapa’s Satkāra and the Fourfold Arthagati; Journey to Virūpākṣa
कृपणान् सतत दृष्टवा ततः संजायते कृपा । धर्मनिष्ठां यदा वेत्ति तदा शाम्यति सा कृपा
kṛpaṇān satataṃ dṛṣṭvā tataḥ saṃjāyate kṛpā | dharmaniṣṭhāṃ yadā vetti tadā śāmyati sā kṛpā ||
Bhishma bersabda: Dengan terus-menerus memandang orang-orang yang kikir dan berhati sempit, dalam diri pun tumbuh kekikiran serupa. Namun ketika seseorang mengenali keluhuran jiwa dan kemurahan hati mereka yang teguh dalam dharma, kekikiran itu menjadi tenang dan lenyap.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One’s character is shaped by what one repeatedly observes and keeps company with: constant exposure to miserly, petty conduct breeds the same tendency, while understanding and valuing the generosity of dharma-steady people dissolves that pettiness.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he explains a psychological-ethical principle: the mind imitates what it repeatedly witnesses, and noble exemplars can correct and calm ignoble tendencies.