Shloka 11
भीष्म उवाच धर्मस्य द्वियमाणस्य बलवद्/िद्दुरात्मभि: । संस्था यत्नैरपि कृता कालेन प्रतिभिद्यते
bhīṣma uvāca | dharmasya dvyamāṇasya balavadbhir durātmabhiḥ | saṃsthā yatnair api kṛtā kālena pratibhidyate ||
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു— വത്സാ! ശക്തിയുള്ള ദുഷ്ടന്മാർ ധർമ്മത്തെ ആക്രമിക്കുമ്പോൾ, സാധാരണ ജനങ്ങൾ വലിയ പരിശ്രമത്തോടെ സ്ഥാപിച്ച സംരക്ഷണ-ക്രമവും കാലക്രമത്തിൽ തകർന്നുപോകുന്നു.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma cannot be safeguarded merely by well-meant arrangements; when powerful immoral forces actively undermine it, even carefully built protections collapse over time. Sustaining dharma requires both moral strength and vigilance against corrupt power.
In his instruction, Bhishma reflects on the fragility of righteous order: he warns that when strong but wicked people begin damaging dharma, the protective measures created by ordinary people—even with sincere effort—eventually get broken by the pressure of time and circumstance.