Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances
अवमानेन युक्तस्य स्थानभ्रष्टस्य वा पुन: । कथं यास्यसि विश्वासमहं तिष्ठामि वा कथम्
avamānena yuktasya sthānabhraṣṭasya vā punaḥ | kathaṃ yāsyasi viśvāsaṃ ahaṃ tiṣṭhāmi vā katham ||
毗湿摩说道:“一个人若背负羞辱,或又一次被逐离其应得之位,他怎能再生信任?而在此等境况中,我又怎能安稳自持、立足无虞?”
भीष्म उवाच
Humiliation and loss of rightful standing corrode trust and inner stability; ethical governance should avoid dishonoring or unjustly displacing people, because social confidence and personal steadiness depend on dignity and secure status.
In the instruction-filled Shānti Parva, Bhīṣma is speaking as a counselor on dharma and statecraft, reflecting on the psychological and moral consequences of dishonor and dispossession—questioning how trust can arise, and how one can remain firm, when a person has been shamed or stripped of position.