ज्ञानपूर्वकृतं कर्म च्छादयन्ते हासाधव: । ज्ञानपूर्व विनश्यन्ति गूहमाना महाजने
jñānapūrvakṛtaṃ karma cchādayante hāsādhavaḥ | jñānapūrvaṃ vinaśyanti gūhamānā mahājane ||
ビーシュマは言った。邪なる者は、知りつつ犯した罪業でさえ他人に隠そうとする。だが大人(たいじん)たる見識ある者の前で、その悪を秘そうとするなら、ついには滅びに至る――意図して覆い隠した罪咎が、己を滅ぼすからである。
भीष्म उवाच
Deliberate wrongdoing becomes more destructive when one tries to hide it; concealment before the wise and the morally serious community leads to downfall, implying that confession, transparency, and reform are essential to dharmic living.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he warns about the fate of immoral people: they knowingly commit sinful acts and then attempt to conceal them, but such secrecy—especially in the face of the noble and discerning—results in their ruin.