Virūpākṣa’s Dāna and Gautama’s Burden — the approach of Rājadharma
एष ते भरतश्रेष्ठ नृशंस: परिकीर्तित: । सदा विवर्जनीयो हि पुरुषेण विजानता
eṣa te bharataśreṣṭha nṛśaṁsaḥ parikīrtitaḥ | sadā vivarjanīyo hi puruṣeṇa vijānatā ||
हे भरतश्रेष्ठ! तुझ्या प्रश्नानुसार ‘नृशंस’ पुरुषाचे हेच वर्णन सांगितले आहे. जो विवेकी आहे, त्याने सदैव त्याचा त्याग करून दूर राहावे.
भीष्म उवाच
A wise and discerning person should recognize cruelty (nṛśaṁsatā) as a moral danger and deliberately avoid association with such a person.
In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira in the Śānti Parva, he concludes a description of the ‘nṛśaṁsa’ type—someone marked by pitiless conduct—and advises constant avoidance of such company.