Shloka 69
उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel
Devanagari script
तस्मात् सद्धि्न वक्तव्यं कस्यचित् किंचिदग्रत: । सूक्ष्मा गतिर्ि धर्मस्य दुर्ज्ञेया ह्कृतात्मभि:
Transliteration
tasmāt saddhiṁ vaktavyaṁ kasyacit kiṁcid agrataḥ | sūkṣmā gatir hi dharmasya durjñeyā hy akṛtātmabhiḥ ||
Translation
因此，不可在他人面前轻率地向随便什么人施以教诲。法（dharma）之行极其微妙；而对那些尚未调伏并净化其内心的人而言，要辨明法真正所要求的是什么，实在难之又难。
Word by Word
{'tasmāt''therefore, for that reason', 'saddhiṁ (sat + dhiṁ)': 'good counsel
{'tasmāt':
wholesome instruction (lit. ‘right understanding’)', 'vaktavyam''should be spoken
wholesome instruction (lit. ‘right understanding’)', 'vaktavyam':
ought to be said', 'kasyacit''to/for someone, to anyone (indefinite)', 'kiṁcit': 'something, any (matter)', 'agrataḥ': 'in front of
ought to be said', 'kasyacit':
in the presence of', 'sūkṣmā''subtle, fine, hard to perceive', 'gatiḥ': 'course, movement, way, true drift', 'hi': 'indeed, for', 'dharmasya': 'of dharma
in the presence of', 'sūkṣmā':
of righteous duty/law', 'durjñeyā''hard to know, difficult to understand', 'akṛtātmabhiḥ': 'by those whose self is not ‘made’/formed—undisciplined, unrefined, not self-controlled'}
of righteous duty/law', 'durjñeyā':
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhishmaDharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Educational Q&A
Dharma is subtle and context-sensitive; therefore, moral instruction should be offered with discernment and to receptive, self-disciplined listeners, not indiscriminately or for display.
Bhishma, in his extended counsel on dharma, cautions Yudhishthira that ethical truth is not easily grasped by the undisciplined, so public or indiscriminate preaching can mislead rather than guide.