Shloka 4
मोक्षोपाय-निर्णयः
Determination of the Means to Liberation
अधर्मतां याति धर्मों यात्यधर्मश्न धर्मताम् वधो नाम भवेद् धर्मो नैतद् भवितुमहति
bhīṣma uvāca | adharmatāṃ yāti dharmo yāty adharmo dharmatām | vadho nāma bhaved dharmo naitad bhavitum arhati |
毗湿摩说道：“有时，被称为‘法（dharma）’的会滑入不义，而被称为‘非法（adharma）’的反倒被视为正当。即便如此，也绝不可把杀害有生命的众生称作‘法’——那在真实义上是不成立的。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma warns that moral labels can shift—acts may appear righteous yet be unrighteous, and vice versa—but he draws a firm ethical boundary: the killing of a living being should not be justified as ‘dharma’ merely by naming it so.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma reflects on the instability of moral appearances and argues against legitimizing violence as righteousness, framing a cautionary principle within broader teachings on dharma.