Shloka 19
धर्म्यविजय-नियमाः
Rules for Dharmic Victory in Kṣatriya Engagement
स वर्धमान: स्तेयेन पाप: पापे प्रसज्जति । न धर्मोडस्तीति मन्वान: शुचीनवहसन्निव
sa vardhamānaḥ steyena pāpaḥ pāpe prasajjati | na dharmo 'stīti manvānaḥ śucīn avahasann iva |
Bhīṣma berkata: “Seorang pendosa yang bertumbuh lewat pencurian makin terjerat dalam dosa. Mengira ‘dharma itu tidak ada,’ ia mengejek orang-orang suci dan berbudi. Iman pada kebenaran lenyap, dan oleh dosa semata ia melangkah menuju kebinasaan—membayangkan dirinya laksana dewa, tak lapuk dan tak mati, namun pada akhirnya terbelenggu oleh jerat-jerat Varuṇa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Prosperity gained through theft strengthens a person’s attachment to wrongdoing; denial of dharma leads to contempt for the virtuous and culminates in inevitable restraint and ruin—symbolized by being caught in Varuṇa’s pāśas (nooses).
In Bhīṣma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he describes the psychological and ethical downward spiral of a thief: success in stealing breeds further sin, erodes reverence for dharma, and ends in punishment and destruction.