Shloka 13
उपवासविधि-प्रश्नः
Inquiry into the Discipline of Fasting
न ज्येष्ठटो वावमन्येत दुष्कृत: सुकृतोडपि वा । यदि स्त्री यद्यवरज: श्रेयश्लेत् तत् तदाचरेत्
na jyeṣṭhaṭo vāvamanyeta duṣkṛtaḥ sukṛto 'pi vā | yadi strī yadyavarajaḥ śreyaḥ ślet tat tad ācaret |
Bhīṣma berkata: “Jangan memandang rendah seseorang semata-mata kerana dia yang lebih tua, walaupun dia telah berbuat salah; dan jangan pula memandang rendah orang lain semata-mata kerana dia telah berbuat baik. Jika yang benar-benar membawa kebaikan terdapat pada seorang wanita atau pada yang lebih muda, maka terimalah dan amalkanlah jalan itu tepat sebagaimana adanya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not judge counsel by the speaker’s age, status, or gender. What matters is śreyas—true welfare. If the best course is taught by someone socially seen as ‘junior’ (a younger person) or by a woman, one should accept it and put it into practice.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma continues giving ethical guidance. Here he emphasizes impartial discernment: neither seniority nor reputation alone should determine acceptance or rejection; one should adopt whatever leads to genuine good conduct.