Shloka 18
उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel
भीष्म उवाच एवमुक्तस्तु मुनिना स शूद्रोडचिन्तयन्नूप । कथमत्र मया कार्य श्रद्धा धर्मपरा च मे,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--नरेश्वर! मुनिके ऐसा कहनेपर शूद्रने सोचा, यहाँ मुझे क्या करना चाहिये? मेरी श्रद्धा तो संन्यास-धर्मके अनुष्ठानके लिये ही है
bhīṣma uvāca | evam uktas tu muninā sa śūdro 'cintayannṛpa | katham atra mayā kāryaṃ śraddhā dharmaparā ca me ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai raja, setelah sang muni berkata demikian, Śūdra itu pun berfikir: ‘Dalam keadaan ini, apakah yang harus aku lakukan? Kerana iman dan tekadku teguh tertumpu pada dharma.’”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical deliberation: when instructed by an authority (a sage), one should pause and reflect on what action is truly appropriate (kārya) in the given context, grounding the decision in śraddhā and commitment to dharma rather than impulse.
Bhishma narrates to the king that after hearing the sage’s words, a Shudra begins to think carefully about his next step—asking what he ought to do now—because his inner disposition is oriented toward dharma and sincere faith.