Shloka 17
Kośa-saṃjanana and Subtle Dharma
Treasury Formation and Fine-Grained Ethics
स्त्रिया मोष: पतिस्थान दस्युष्वेतद् विगर्हितम् । संश्लेषं च परस्त्रीभिवर्दस्युरेतानि वर्जयेत्
bhīṣma uvāca | striyā moṣaḥ patisthāna-dasyuṣv etad vigarhitam | saṃśleṣaṃ ca para-strībhiḥ dāsyur etāni varjayet ||
毗湿摩说道：“即便在盗贼之中，侵辱妇女、窃取其夫家之物、以及与他人之妻私通，亦被视为可耻而当谴。故而，连盗贼也应避绝此等行径。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that some wrongs—especially violating women, violating marital boundaries, and stealing from a husband’s household—are universally condemned; if even thieves recognize these as disgraceful, a person aiming at dharma must certainly renounce them.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhīṣma addresses moral limits by citing what is considered blameworthy even among bandits, using that as a strong ethical benchmark for Yudhiṣṭhira’s understanding of dharma.