Shloka 21
धर्म्यविजय-नियमाः
Rules for Dharmic Victory in Kṣatriya Engagement
महादृतिरिवाध्मात: सुकृते नैव वर्तते । ततः: समूलो द्वियते नदीं कूलादिव द्रुम:
mahādṛtir ivādhmātaḥ sukṛte naiva vartate | tataḥ samūlo dhriyate nadīṁ kūlād iva drumaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Seperti kantong kulit besar yang menggelembung ketika ditiup penuh, demikian pula si pendosa menggelembung oleh dosanya sendiri dan tak pernah berpaling pada perbuatan bajik. Lalu, seperti pohon di tepi sungai yang tercabut bersama akarnya dan terseret arus, pendosa itu pun tercerabut dan binasa sepenuhnya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wrongdoing inflates the sinner’s pride and dulls the impulse toward merit; such a life becomes unstable and ends in total ruin—like a tree undermined at the riverbank and uprooted with its roots.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction (Śānti Parva), he uses two vivid similes—an inflated leather bag and a riverbank tree swept away—to warn that persistent sin leads to moral stagnation and eventual complete destruction.