Shloka 18
स्वशरीरोपरोधेन धनमादातुमिच्छत: । सत्यसम्प्रतिपत्त्यर्थ यद् ब्रूयु: साक्षिण: क्वचित्
svaśarīroparodhenā dhanam ādātum icchataḥ | satyasampratipattyarthaṃ yad brūyuḥ sākṣiṇaḥ kvacit ||
स्वशरीरोपरोधेन धनमादातुमिच्छतः । सत्यसम्प्रतिपत्त्यर्थं यद् ब्रूयुः साक्षिणः क्वचित् ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes that witness testimony is justified and should be directed toward establishing truth, especially in situations where someone attempts to wrongfully seize property through coercive obstruction; the ethical priority is satya (truth) as the basis of justice.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-instruction context, Bhīṣma is outlining principles of adjudication and social order, describing a scenario of coercion over wealth and indicating how witnesses should speak so that the truth of the matter is properly determined.