Shloka 93
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
भीष्म उवाच तथा धर्मविरोधेन प्रियमिथ्याभिधायिना । श्मशानवासिना नित्यं रात्रि मृगयता नूप
bhīṣma uvāca tathā dharmavirodhena priyamithyābhidhāyinā | śmaśānavāsinā nityaṁ rātri mṛgayatā nṛpa ||
भीष्म म्हणाले—राजन्! तो प्राणी नेहमीच स्मशानभूमीत वास करी आणि आपल्या हेतूच्या सिद्धीसाठी रात्र येण्याची वाट पाहत होता. म्हणून धर्मविरोधी, पण गोड व खोटे शब्द बोलून त्याने त्या बालकाच्या बंधुजनांना संशयात अडकवून ठेवले. ते ना पुढे जाऊ शकले, ना निवांत राहू शकले; शेवटी त्यांना तिथेच थांबावे लागले.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Speech that is pleasant but false—and especially speech opposed to dharma—can become a tool of harm. The verse warns that flattering deception can paralyze right action by creating hesitation and confusion, so ethical speech must be aligned with dharma, not merely with what sounds agreeable.
Bhishma describes a deceitful being (in the surrounding story, a jackal-like figure) who lives near the cremation-ground and waits for night to further its scheme. By uttering sweet-sounding lies contrary to dharma, it causes the boy’s relatives to become stuck—unable to decide whether to proceed or withdraw—until they end up remaining there.