Shloka 11
Prahlāda–Indra Saṃvāda: Kartṛtva (Agency) and Svabhāva (Nature) in the Causation of Karma
कल्कापेतामपरुषामनृशंसामपैशुनाम् । ईदृगल्पं च वक्तव्यमविक्षिप्तेन चेतसा
kalkāpetām aparuṣām anṛśaṃsām apaiśunām | īdṛg-alpaṃ ca vaktavyam avikṣiptena cetasā ||
भीष्म म्हणाले—मलिनतारहित, अकठोर, अक्रूर आणि परनिंदारहित अशी वाणी बोलावी. आणि अशी वाणीही अल्पच, तसेच अविक्षिप्त—स्थिर—चित्तानेच बोलावी; विशेषतः जो धर्माची सूक्ष्मता पाहतो आणि खरोखर हितकर वचन बोलू इच्छितो त्याने।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Speech should be ethically purified: truthful yet non-harmful, gentle, compassionate, and free from slander; moreover, even good speech should be measured and spoken with a steady, undistracted mind.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs on dharma and proper conduct; here he gives a rule of disciplined speech as part of ethical living and self-mastery.