Shloka 13
चिरकारि-उपाख्यानम् / The Exemplum of Cirakārī: Deliberation Before Irreversible Action
वे यदि आपसकी शपथको भंग कर दें तो निस्संदेह परस्पर लड़-भिड़कर नष्ट हो जायाँ। दूसरोंके धनका अपहरण नहीं करना चाहिये--यही सनातन धर्म है ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | te yadi paraspara-śapathaṁ bhaṅkṣyanti tarhi niḥsaṁśayaṁ parasparaṁ saṁyujya vinaṅkṣyanti | paradhana-apaharaṇaṁ na kartavyam—eṣa sanātano dharmaḥ || manyante balavantas taṁ durbalaiḥ sampravartitam | yadā niyati-daurbalyaṁ athaiṣām eva rocate ||
毗湿摩说道：若人们违背彼此所立之誓，必将无疑相互冲突而走向毁灭。不可夺取他人之财——此乃永恒的正法。有人强盛，醉心于权势，便轻蔑达摩，认为那只是弱者所倡；然而当命运使他们也变得孱弱之时，为求自保，他们同样会觉得依归达摩才是合宜之道。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is a universal safeguard: do not break mutual oaths and do not seize others’ property. Those who mock dharma as a tool of the weak eventually recognize its necessity when they themselves become vulnerable.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira that social trust depends on keeping pledges and respecting others’ wealth; he also critiques the arrogance of the powerful who disregard dharma until adversity forces them to rely on it.