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 ||
毗湿摩说道：“正因如此，诸仙与牟尼怀着敬意，以沉默而授受誓戒——惟恐不当之言从口中滑出。即便是奉行法、具足德行、诚实而直率之人，也会因说出违背圣典的不当言辞，而在此世招致罪过。”
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.