Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
वाक्पारुष्यं तथोग्रत्वं दण्डपारुष्यमेव च | आत्मनो निग्रहस्त्यागो हार्थदूषणमेव च,वाणीकी कटुता, उग्रता, दण्डकी कठोरता, शरीरको कैद कर लेना, किसीको सदाके लिये त्याग देना और आर्थिक हानि पहुँचाना--ये छः: प्रकारके क्रोधजनित व्यसन उक्त ग्रन्थमें बताये गये हैं
vāk-pāruṣyaṃ tathogratvaṃ daṇḍa-pāruṣyam eva ca | ātmano nigrahas tyāgo hārtha-dūṣaṇam eva ca ||
Bhishma disse: “Aspereza na fala, temperamento feroz, crueldade no castigo, confinar o corpo de alguém (coerção ou prisão), abandonar alguém por completo e causar dano financeiro—essas seis coisas são declaradas no ensinamento como vícios que nascem da ira. Elas mostram como a cólera, quando não é contida, transborda da agitação interior para as palavras, a coerção, a ruptura social e o prejuízo material.”
भीष्म उवाच
Anger is not merely an inner emotion; it manifests as specific harmful behaviors—abusive speech, violent intensity, cruel punishment, physical confinement, permanent abandonment, and financial injury. Dharma requires recognizing these outward forms and restraining anger before it becomes social and material harm.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhishma enumerates concrete ‘anger-born vices’ as part of his ethical guidance, warning how wrath corrupts judgment and leads to escalating wrongdoing in personal and political life.