Shloka 146
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
मातुला भागिनेयाश्व तथा सम्बन्धिबान्धवा: । “माता-पिता, पुत्र, मामा, भांजे, सम्बन्धी तथा बन्धु-बान्धव-इन सबमें स्वार्थके सम्बन्धसे ही स्नेह होता है ।। पुत्र हि मातापितरौ त्यजत: पतितं प्रियम्
mātulā bhāgineyāś ca tathā sambandhi-bāndhavāḥ | mātā-pitarau putro māmā bhāñjaḥ sambandhī tathā bandhu-bāndhavāḥ—eteṣu sarveṣu svārtha-sambandhenaiva sneho bhavati || putro hi mātā-pitarau tyajataḥ patitaṁ priyam |
Bhishma disse: “Tios maternos e sobrinhos, e também parentes e consanguíneos—entre mãe e pai, filho, tio, sobrinho, relações e laços de família, o afeto comumente surge apenas na medida em que há interesse próprio. De fato, até um filho pode abandonar seus amados pais quando estes caem na desgraça.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma highlights a hard ethical realism: ordinary worldly affection within families often depends on perceived benefit; when fortune turns, even close relations may withdraw. The implied counsel is to ground one’s conduct in dharma rather than relying on unstable, interest-based attachment.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma continues a reflective discourse on social bonds and moral conduct, using the example of family relationships to illustrate how attachment can be conditional and why a dharmic person should cultivate steadiness and discernment.