Shloka 38
Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā
Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative
कर्मणा येन तेनैव मृदुना दारुणेन च । उद्धरेद् दीनमात्मानं समर्थो धर्ममाचरेत्,“मनुष्य कोमल या कठोर, जिस किसी भी उपायसे सम्भव हो, दीनदशासे अपना उद्धार करे। इसके बाद शक्तिशाली हो पुन: धर्मांचरण करे
karmaṇā yena tenaiva mṛdunā dāruṇena ca | uddhared dīnam ātmānaṃ samartho dharmam ācaret ||
Bhīṣma nói: Bằng bất cứ cách hành động nào có thể—dù mềm mỏng hay nghiêm khắc—người ta cũng nên tự cứu mình khỏi cảnh khốn cùng. Khi đã phục hồi sức lực và năng lực, bấy giờ hãy trở lại thực hành dharma cho đúng đắn.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When one has fallen into hardship, one may use whatever effective means are available—gentle or stern—to recover and become capable again; but once capable, one must return to the disciplined practice of dharma.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira that escaping distress can require practical measures; the moral obligation is to re-establish righteous conduct after regaining strength.