Shloka 26
Jñāna-yoga and Karma-phala: Manu–Bṛhaspati on Akṣara and the Limits of Mantra
ह्ृदयं पापवृत्तानां पापमाख्याति वैकृतम् । ज्ञानपूर्व विनश्यन्ति गूहमाना महाजने
hṛdayaṃ pāpavṛttānāṃ pāpam ākhyāti vaikṛtam | jñānapūrvaṃ vinaśyanti gūhamānā mahājane ||
ビーシュマは言った。「罪に生きる者の心そのものが——その身の上に現れる歪みと変調と相まって——悪行を告げ知らせる。知りながら罪を犯し、それを偉大なる者・善き者の前に隠そうとする者は滅びる。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sin is not easily hidden: a person’s inner disposition and outward distortions in behavior or condition tend to reveal wrongdoing. Deliberate sin compounded by concealment—especially from the wise and virtuous—leads to downfall.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Bhīṣma advises about moral causality: he warns that the sinful are exposed by their own inner state and that knowingly hiding sin from respected elders or the righteous results in ruin.