Shloka 71
उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel
राजन! इसीलिये ऋषि-मुनि मौनभावसे ही आदसरपूर्वक दीक्षा देते हैं। कोई अनुचित बात मुँहसे न निकल जाय, इसीके भयसे वे कोई भाषण नहीं देते हैं ।।
dhārmikā guṇasampannāḥ satyārjavasamanvitāḥ | duruktavācābhihitaiḥ prāpnuvantīha duṣkṛtam ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Kaya nga, ang mga ṛṣi at muni ay may paggalang na nagkakaloob ng pagtanggap sa panata sa pamamagitan ng katahimikan—sa takot na may di-angkop na salita ang makawala sa bibig. Maging ang mga taong matuwid, hitik sa kabutihan, at may katotohanan at tuwiran ng loob, ay nagiging mananagot dito sa daigdig kapag nakapagsalita ng di-wasto, salungat sa śāstra.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Right speech is a crucial part of dharma: even virtuous people incur demerit if they speak improper, unscriptural, or harmful words; hence the wise practice restraint and sometimes teach or initiate in silence to avoid verbal fault.
Bhishma, instructing the king (Yudhishthira) in the Anushasana Parva, explains why sages value silence and caution in instruction: fear of uttering an inappropriate statement, which can generate moral fault even for the righteous.