नमां मनुष्या: पश्यन्ति न मां पश्यन्ति देवता: । पापेनापिहित: पाप: पापमेवाभिजायते
na māṁ manuṣyāḥ paśyanti na māṁ paśyanti devatāḥ | pāpenāpihitaḥ pāpaḥ pāpam evābhijāyate ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Walang taong nakakakita sa akin, ni ang mga diyos ay hindi rin nakakakita sa akin.” Sa pag-iisip na gayon, ang makasalanang natatakpan ng kasalanan ay muling gumagawa ng kasalanan nang paulit-ulit, at isinisilang lamang sa mga sinapupunang makasalanan—mabababa at mapaminsalang kapanganakan.
भीष्म उवाच
The belief that wrongdoing is unseen (“no humans or gods are watching”) is itself a sinful delusion that fuels repeated sin; such actions generate karmic consequences, including rebirth in degraded or harmful conditions (pāpa-yoni).
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs on dharma and conduct. Here he describes the inner rationalization of a wrongdoer who imagines secrecy, and he states the resulting moral and karmic downward spiral.