Shloka 93
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
भीष्म उवाच तथा धर्मविरोधेन प्रियमिथ्याभिधायिना । श्मशानवासिना नित्यं रात्रि मृगयता नूप
bhīṣma uvāca tathā dharmavirodhena priyamithyābhidhāyinā | śmaśānavāsinā nityaṁ rātri mṛgayatā nṛpa ||
毗湿摩说道：“大王啊，那生灵常居火葬场，为遂其私计而等待夜幕降临。于是它以悦耳而虚妄、违背达摩之言，使那孩子的亲族陷于疑惧与迟疑之中。前不能进，后不得安；最终只得被迫停留。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Speech that is pleasant but false—and especially speech opposed to dharma—can become a tool of harm. The verse warns that flattering deception can paralyze right action by creating hesitation and confusion, so ethical speech must be aligned with dharma, not merely with what sounds agreeable.
Bhishma describes a deceitful being (in the surrounding story, a jackal-like figure) who lives near the cremation-ground and waits for night to further its scheme. By uttering sweet-sounding lies contrary to dharma, it causes the boy’s relatives to become stuck—unable to decide whether to proceed or withdraw—until they end up remaining there.