Shloka 9
Adhyāya 115: On Restraint Under Verbal Provocation in the Assembly (सभायां आक्रोश-सहिष्णुता)
यदि वाग्भि: प्रयोग: स्यात् प्रयोगे पापकर्मण: । वागेवार्थों भवेत् तस्य न होवार्थों जिघांसत:,यदि पापाचारी पुरुषके कटुवचन बोलनेपर बदलेमें वैसे ही वचनोंका प्रयोग किया जाय तो उससे केवल वाणीद्वारा कलहमात्र होगा। जो हिंसा करना चाहता है, उसका गाली देनेसे कोई प्रयोजन सिद्ध नहीं होगा
yadi vāgbhiḥ prayogaḥ syāt prayoge pāpakarmaṇaḥ | vāg evārtho bhavet tasya na hovārtho jighāṃsataḥ ||
Disse Bhīṣma: Se, em resposta à fala abusiva de um homem pecador, alguém apenas revida com palavras semelhantes, o resultado é somente uma briga de palavras. Para quem está inclinado à violência, trocar insultos não serve a propósito algum e nada realiza.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not answer abusive or sinful speech with the same kind of speech; it only multiplies verbal conflict. If someone is bent on violence, insults do not achieve any constructive end—restraint and wise response are implied as the dharmic course.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he addresses how to respond to a wrongdoer: mere verbal retaliation is futile, especially when the opponent’s intent is harmful.