Shloka 26
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
ये च दोषसमायुक्ता नराः प्रोक्ता मयानघ
bhīṣma uvāca | ye ca doṣa-samāyuktā narāḥ proktā mayānagha, niṣpāpa nareśa! teṣāṃ sarveṣām adhamo bhavati kṛtaghnaḥ | sa mitra-vadhyam api karoti | tādṛśān durācārān narādhamān dūrata eva tyajet | eṣa sarveṣāṃ niścayaḥ |
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai raja yang tak bercela, di antara semua manusia yang telah kusebut tercemar oleh cela, yang paling hina ialah si tidak tahu berterima kasih. Ia bahkan dapat sampai membunuh sahabatnya sendiri. Karena itu, orang-orang keji yang berperilaku bejat demikian harus ditinggalkan dari jauh; inilah keyakinan yang telah mantap bagi semua.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Gratitude is a foundational virtue in dharma; ingratitude (kṛtaghnatā) marks the lowest character because it can drive a person to betray and even destroy benefactors and friends. Such people should be avoided decisively.
In Bhishma’s instruction to the king during the Śānti Parva, he classifies moral faults and singles out the ungrateful person as the worst, advising the ruler to keep distance from such corrupt individuals for personal and social safety.