Shloka 56
यथा वार्धुषिको वृद्धि दिनभेदे प्रतीक्षते । धर्मेण पिहित॑ पापं धर्ममेवाभिवर्धयेत्
yathā vārdhuṣiko vṛddhiṁ dinabhede pratīkṣate | dharmeṇa pihitaṁ pāpaṁ dharmam evābhivardhayet ||
Bhishma berkata: “Seperti lintah darat menunggu faedah bertambah dari hari ke hari, demikian juga dosa cenderung membesar dengan berlalunya waktu. Namun apabila dosa itu ditutup dan ditahan oleh dharma—dikawal melalui perilaku yang benar—maka akhirnya ia menguatkan dharma itu sendiri.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sin tends to compound if left unchecked, like interest accruing day by day; but when wrongdoing is restrained and overruled by dharma—through righteous choices and corrective conduct—it contributes to the strengthening of dharma (moral character and merit).
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he uses a practical analogy of a moneylender waiting for interest to grow to explain how moral tendencies can increase over time, and how deliberate adherence to dharma can suppress and transform the momentum of sin into the growth of righteousness.