नराणामशुभं सर्वे व्यपोहन्ति प्रकीर्तिता: । साक्षिभूता महात्मान: पापस्य सुकृतस्य च,ये महात्मा सब मनुष्योंके पाप-पुण्यके साक्षी हैं। इनका नाम लेनेपर ये सब लोग मानवोंके अमंगलका नाश करते हैं
narāṇām aśubhaṁ sarve vyapohanti prakīrtitāḥ | sākṣibhūtā mahātmānaḥ pāpasya sukṛtasya ca ||
Bhishma berkata: “Apabila para mahatma ini—yang menjadi saksi atas dosa dan kebajikan manusia—dipuji dan nama mereka diumumkan, mereka menyingkirkan segala yang tidak baik yang menimpa manusia.”
भीष्म उवाच
Remembering and praising truly great and righteous beings—those who embody moral awareness and stand as ‘witnesses’ to virtue and vice—has a purifying, protective effect: it helps dispel inauspiciousness and turns the mind toward dharma.
In Bhishma’s instruction to Yudhishthira in the Anushasana Parva, he describes the power and moral authority of ‘mahātmans’ who witness human conduct; he states that their praise or invocation removes misfortune for people.