Shloka 44
Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)
न्यायतो दुष्कृते घात: सुकृते न कथंचन । नेह युक्त स्थिरं स्थातुं जवेनैवाव्रजेदू् बुध:
nyāyato duṣkṛte ghātaḥ sukṛte na kathaṃcana | neha yuktaṃ sthiraṃ sthātuṃ javenaivāvajed budhaḥ ||
Menurut keadilan, hukuman seharusnya jatuh pada pelaku kejahatan, dan pelaku kebajikan tidak semestinya menderita sedikit pun. Namun di sini tidak demikian. Karena itu, tidak patut siapa pun tinggal dengan rasa menetap; orang bijak harus segera pergi dari sini.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights a moral paradox: ideally, justice would ensure that wrongdoers alone suffer and the virtuous remain unharmed, but worldly experience contradicts this. From this mismatch between ideal dharma and lived reality, he draws a practical counsel—do not cling to the world as a stable refuge; the wise cultivate detachment and readiness to depart.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma continues ethical reflection on dharma and the instability of worldly outcomes. This verse frames the world as unreliable in dispensing just results, reinforcing the broader teaching that one should not rely on worldly conditions for lasting security.