Shloka 6
Kośa, Bala, and Maryādā: Treasury, Capacity, and Enforceable Limits (कोश-बल-मर्यादा)
भीष्मजीने कहा--धर्मनन्दन! भरतश्रेष्ठ युधिष्ठिर! यह तो तुमने मुझसे बड़ा गोपनीय विषय पूछा है। यदि तुम्हारे द्वारा प्रश्न न किया गया होता तो मैं इस समय इस संकटकालिक धर्मके विषयमें कुछ भी नहीं कह सकता था ।।
bhīṣma uvāca—dharmo hīyān vacanād buddhiś ca bharatarṣabha | śrutvopāsyatha sadācāraiḥ sādhur bhavati sa kvacit, bharatabhūṣaṇa ||
Sinabi ni Bhīṣma: “O anak ng Dharma, O Yudhiṣṭhira, palamuti ng angkan ng Bharata—isang lubhang lihim na bagay ang iyong itinanong sa akin. Kung hindi mo ako tinanong, hindi ako makapagsasalita tungkol sa dharmang ukol sa panahon ng kagipitan. O karangalan ng Bharata, ang dharma ay maselan; nauunawaan ito sa masusing pag-aaral ng mga salita ng śāstra. Ngunit bihira ang taong, matapos pakinggan ang mga aral ng kasulatan, ay tunay na isinasabuhay ang mga ito sa pamamagitan ng disiplinadong mabuting asal at sa gayon ay nagiging tunay na banal.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is extremely subtle and cannot be secured by eloquent speech alone; true virtue is rare because it requires not only hearing scriptural instruction but also embodying it through sustained good conduct, especially when facing crisis situations.
In the Shanti Parva dialogue, Yudhishthira questions Bhishma about a confidential and difficult topic—dharma in times of distress. Bhishma responds by stressing the subtlety of dharma and the rarity of people who genuinely live according to what they have learned.