Shloka 48
Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā
Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative
गुरोरप्यवलिप्तस्य कार्याकार्यमजानतः । उत्पथं प्रतिपन्नस्थ दण्डो भवति शासनम्,“यदि गुरु भी घंमडमें भरकर कर्तव्य और अकर्तव्यको नहीं समझ रहा हो और बुरे मार्गपर चलता हो तो उसके लिये भी दण्ड देना उचित है; दण्ड उसे राहपर लाता है
guror apy avaliptasya kāryākāryam ajānataḥ | utpathaṁ pratipannasya daṇḍo bhavati śāsanam ||
Bhishma berkata: Bahkan seorang guru, jika dibutakan oleh keangkuhan sehingga tidak dapat membezakan yang patut dilakukan daripada yang tidak patut, dan telah menempuh jalan yang salah—maka terhadapnya juga hukuman adalah sarana pemerintahan yang wajar; disiplin mengembalikannya ke jalan yang benar.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
No one is above dharma: even a revered teacher who becomes arrogant and loses discernment of right and wrong may be corrected through daṇḍa (disciplinary punishment). Proper governance uses discipline to restore a person to the right path, not to indulge status or pride.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous rule and social order, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira principles of governance and correction. Here he states that if a guru deviates into wrongful conduct and cannot distinguish duty from non-duty, the ruler’s corrective authority may extend even to him.