Shloka 37
Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation
संवत्सरेण पतति पतितेन सहाचरन् | याजनाध्यापनाद यौनान्न तु यानासनाशनात्
saṃvatsareṇa patati patitena sahācaran | yājanādhyāpanād yaunān na tu yānāsanāśanāt ||
ビーシュマは言った。「堕者と共に暮らし、共に振る舞うなら、人は一年のうちに堕者となる。彼のために祭式を執り行い、また教え授けることによっても同様である。だが、その家系と婚姻の縁を結び、あるいは同じ乗り物・同じ座・同じ食を分かち合うなら、堕落は一年を待たず—ただちに起こる。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma distinguishes degrees of moral/ritual contamination: some forms of association with a ‘fallen’ person lead to degradation over time (general companionship, priestly service, teaching), while intimate boundary-crossing acts—marital/sexual alliance and sharing conveyance, seat, or food—are treated as causing immediate fall.
In the Shanti Parva’s dharma-instruction, Bhishma is laying down norms of conduct and social boundaries, explaining to the listener how different interactions with a patita are evaluated and what consequences they are said to bring.