Shloka 9
उपवासविधि-प्रश्नः
Inquiry into the Discipline of Fasting
सर्वानर्थ: कुले यत्र जायते पापपूरुष: | अकीर्ति जनयत्येव कीर्तिमन्तर्दधाति च
sarvānarthaḥ kule yatra jāyate pāpapūruṣaḥ | akīrtiṁ janayaty eva kīrtim antardadhāti ca ||
सर्वानर्थः कुले यत्र जायते पापपूरुषः । अकीर्तिं जनयत्येव कीर्तिमन्तर्दधाति च ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A single morally corrupt person can become the root of widespread harm for an entire lineage: he actively produces dishonor (akīrti) and obscures established good reputation (kīrti). The verse stresses ethical responsibility because personal vice has collective social consequences.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he offers a general moral observation about family and society: the birth or rise of a sinful person within a household brings misfortune and tarnishes the family’s standing.