Shloka 21
Adhyāya 115: On Restraint Under Verbal Provocation in the Assembly (सभायां आक्रोश-सहिष्णुता)
विगर्हणां परमदुरात्मना कृतां सहेत य: संसदि दुर्जनान्नर: । पठेदिदं चापि निदर्शनं सदा न वाड्मयं स लभति किंचिदप्रियम्
vigarhāṇāṃ paramadurātmanā kṛtāṃ saheta yaḥ saṃsadi durjanān naraḥ | paṭhed idaṃ cāpi nidarśanaṃ sadā na vāḍmayaṃ sa labhati kiṃcid apriyam ||
भीष्म उवाच—यः संसदि परमदुरात्मना कृतां विगर्हणां सहेत, यश्चैतद् निदर्शनं नित्यं पठेत् स्मरेद् वा, स दुर्जनकृतया वाग्व्यथया किंचिदप्यप्रियम् न लभते।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
To practice kṣamā—patient forbearance—by calmly enduring malicious blame in public; such restraint protects one from further harm caused by hostile speech and preserves dignity and inner composure.
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Shanti Parva, he presents a moral maxim tied to an earlier illustrative story (nidarśana): the listener is urged to keep that example in mind and to tolerate the reproach of wicked people in an assembly.