Shloka 9
नतु वक्षिन्नयेत् प्राज्ञो गृहीत्वैव करे नरम् । उच्यमानस्तु धर्मेण धर्मलोकभयच्छले,कोई कितना ही बुद्धिमान् क्यों न हो, वह किसी मनुष्यका हाथ पकड़कर उसे बलपूर्वक धर्ममें नहीं लगा सकता; किंतु न्यायानुसार धर्ममय तथा लोकभयका बहाना लेकर उस पुरुषको धर्मके लिये कह सकता है
na tu vakṣy nayed prājño gṛhītvāiva kare naram | ucyamānas tu dharmeṇa dharmalokabhayacchale ||
भीष्म उवाच—न हि प्राज्ञोऽपि नरं करे गृहीत्वा बलात् धर्मे नियोजयितुं शक्नोति। किन्तु न्यायानुगुणं धर्मं ब्रुवन् लोकभयमपि निमित्तीकृत्य तं धर्माय प्रेरयेत्।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma cannot be imposed by coercion; the wise should guide through reasoned, lawful admonition, and may also appeal to social accountability (fear of public blame) as a practical means to encourage righteous behavior.
In Bhishma’s instruction on conduct (Anushasana Parva), he explains the limits of moral authority: even the wise cannot compel virtue by force, but they can counsel a person toward dharma using just arguments and socially persuasive considerations.