Shloka 8
नृशंस-लक्षणनिर्णयः | Determining the Marks of Cruel Conduct
Nṛśaṃsa
एवं हि राजशार्दूल दुर्बल: सन् बलीयसा । वैरमारभते बालस्तप्यते शाल्मलियीथा
evaṁ hi rājaśārdūla durbalaḥ san balīyasā | vairam ārabhate bālas tapyate śālmalī yathā ||
ビーシュマは言った。「まことにそのとおりだ、諸王の虎よ。愚か者は自ら弱い身でありながら、より強き者に怨みを起こして争いを始める。結局は、焼かれたシャールマリーの木のように苦しみを負うだけなのだ。」
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not initiate hostility beyond one’s capacity: a weak, immature person who provokes a stronger opponent invites inevitable suffering. Ethical strength includes restraint, realistic judgment, and choosing conflicts only when dharma and capability align.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct and statecraft, Bhishma addresses the king (Yudhishthira) with a warning: reckless enmity—especially by the weak against the strong—leads to self-inflicted misery, illustrated through the śālmalī-tree simile.