Shloka 69
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
दूतसंव्यवहाराश्व निष्परीक्षाश्व मानवा: । प्राणिहिंसाप्रवृत्ता श्व ते वै निरयगामिन:
dūtasaṁvyavahārāś ca niṣparīkṣāś ca mānavāḥ | prāṇihiṁsāpravṛttāś ca te vai nirayagāminaḥ ||
Bhishma bersabda: Orang yang menjalankan tugas sebagai utusan tanpa pertimbangan—tidak mampu menilai orang atau keadaan dengan wajar—dan yang sentiasa cenderung mencederakan makhluk hidup, sesungguhnya pasti ditakdirkan ke neraka. Rangkap ini mengingatkan bahawa peranan awam seperti diplomasi atau pendamaian menuntut penelitian moral dan ahimsa; apabila dilakukan secara cuai dan kejam, ia membawa kepada kejatuhan etika yang berat.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Roles involving communication and negotiation (like a messenger) require careful discernment and moral responsibility; those who act without proper scrutiny and who habitually harm living beings incur severe karmic consequences, described here as becoming hell-bound.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing on dharma and proper conduct. Here he condemns indiscriminate, unexamined conduct—especially by those acting as envoys—and links persistent violence toward living beings with a fall into niraya (hell).