Shloka 20
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
यथाशक्ति समाचारा: सम्प्रतुष्यन्ति हि प्रभो । नास्थाने क्रोधवन्तश्न न चाकस्माद् विरागिण: । विरक्ताश्न न दुष्यन्ति मनसाप्यर्थकोविदा:
yathāśakti samācārāḥ sampratuṣyanti hi prabho | nāsthāne krodhavantaś ca na cākasmād virāgiṇaḥ | viraktāś ca na duṣyanti manasāpy arthakovidāḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai tuan, orang menjadi puas bila tata laku dijalankan sesuai kemampuan. Orang bijak tidak marah tanpa tempatnya, dan tidak pula tiba-tiba menjadi acuh. Mereka yang lepas dari keterikatan dan tajam dalam menimbang perkara tidak jatuh ke dalam cela—bahkan dalam pikiran.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Right conduct should be practiced in proportion to one’s capacity; true wisdom shows itself as restraint—no misplaced anger, no sudden fickle dispassion—and genuine detachment keeps even the mind from moral taint.
In the Shanti Parva instruction, Bhishma continues advising the king on ethical governance and personal discipline, emphasizing measured practice, emotional regulation, and the inner (mental) dimension of righteousness.