Shloka 12
Prahlāda–Indra Saṃvāda: Kartṛtva (Agency) and Svabhāva (Nature) in the Causation of Karma
वाकृप्रबद्धो हि संसारो विरागाद् व्याहरेद् यदि । बुद्धयाप्यनुगृहीतेन मनसा कर्म तामसम्
vākṛprabaddho hi saṃsāro virāgād vyāhared yadi | buddhyāpy anugṛhītena manasā karma tāmasam ||
毗湿摩说道：“世间的系缚，确由言语与行持而紧系；故当常说高贵之言。若已得离贪（vairāgya），则当借辨慧制伏其心，甚至应坦陈自身之昏暗性（tāmasika）所作，如暴行；因为过失一旦显露于光明之中，其负担便会减轻，净化之道亦更为坚固。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Speech and behavior can bind one to saṃsāra; therefore cultivate noble speech. With vairāgya and the guidance of buddhi, restrain the mind and openly acknowledge tamasic wrongs, since disclosure supports purification and lessens the weight of sin.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and inner discipline, Bhishma advises the listener that worldly entanglement is reinforced through speech, and he recommends controlled, truthful, elevating speech along with candid admission of past harmful deeds as part of ethical reform.