Shloka 18
Chapter 78: Royal Responsibility for Wealth, Social Order, and the Protection of Dvijas
Kekaya Exemplum
कृपणानाथवृद्धानां दुर्बलातुरयोषिताम् । संविभक्तास्मि सर्वेषां मामकान्तरमाविश:,दीन, अनाथ, वृद्ध, दुर्बल, रोगी तथा स्त्री--इन सबको मैं अन्न-वस्त्र तथा औषध आदि आवश्यक वस्तुएँ देता रहता हूँ, तथापि तुम मेरे शरीरमें कैसे प्रविष्ट हो गये?
kṛpaṇānātha-vṛddhānāṁ durbalātura-yoṣitām | saṁvibhaktāsmi sarveṣāṁ māmakāntaram āviśaḥ ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Aos pobres, aos desamparados, aos idosos, aos fracos, aos doentes e às mulheres, eu distribuo regularmente o que é necessário — alimento, vestes, remédios e coisas semelhantes. Ainda assim, como encontraste entrada no meu próprio corpo, no meu íntimo?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
External charity (giving food, clothing, medicine) is a major dharmic duty, yet Bhīṣma highlights that inner affliction can still arise; true righteousness requires both outward generosity and inward vigilance against subtle moral or spiritual ‘entry’—such as pride, negligence, or unseen fault.
In the Śānti discourse, Bhīṣma speaks as a moral instructor. Here he points to his ongoing support of vulnerable people and then questions how some troubling influence has nevertheless entered his own person—framing a reflective inquiry into the limits of outward good deeds and the need for inner discernment.