Shloka 19
Haṃsa–Sādhya Saṃvāda: Satya, Dama, Kṣamā and the Discipline of Speech
स्वयं मृत्पिण्डभूतस्य परतन्त्रस्य सर्वदा । को हेतु: स्वजन पोष्टूं रक्षितुं वादृढात्मन:
svayaṁ mṛtpiṇḍabhūtasya paratantrasya sarvadā | ko hetuḥ svajanaṁ poṣṭuṁ rakṣituṁ vā dṛḍhātmanaḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“人就身体而言，实不过一团尘土，且恒常受制于自身不能掌控的力量；如此心志不坚之人，凭何能养护并守卫其眷属？若未先自胜，其自称坚固护主，不过空言。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Without inner steadiness and self-mastery, a person cannot truly fulfill the ethical responsibilities of sustaining and protecting dependents; bodily strength and social claims are unreliable when one remains fundamentally dependent and unstable.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Bhīṣma challenges the notion that an unsteady person can act as a reliable protector of family and dependents, emphasizing the primacy of inner firmness for righteous leadership.