Shloka 4
उपवासविधि-प्रश्नः
Inquiry into the Discipline of Fasting
अन्ध: स्यादन्धवेलायां जड: स्यादपि वा बुध: । परिहारेण तद् ब्रूयाद् यस्तेषां स्याद् व्यतिक्रम:
andhaḥ syād andha-velāyāṃ jaḍaḥ syād api vā budhaḥ | parihāreṇa tad brūyād yas teṣāṃ syād vyatikramaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Pada saat yang tepat, seorang abang sulung hendaklah menjadi seolah-olah buta, seolah-olah dungu, dan juga seolah-olah bijaksana. Apabila adik-adiknya melakukan kesalahan, dia harus melihat namun bertindak seakan-akan tidak melihat; mengetahui namun berlagak seakan-akan tidak mengetahui; dan berbicara dengan kata-kata yang mendamaikan sehingga lenyap kecenderungan mereka untuk mengulangi kesalahan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
An elder should preserve harmony by strategic forbearance: sometimes ‘not seeing’ a minor fault, sometimes acting unaware, and sometimes using wise, conciliatory speech—so that the younger person’s tendency to repeat the offence is corrected without humiliation or escalation.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing Yudhishthira on dharma and right conduct. Here he gives practical counsel on household and kinship ethics—how an elder brother should respond when younger brothers err.