Shloka 22
Haṃsa–Sādhya Saṃvāda: Satya, Dama, Kṣamā and the Discipline of Speech
यदा मृतं च स्वजन न ज्ञास्यसि कदाचन । सुखितं दुःखितं वापि ननु बोद्धव्यमात्मना
yadā mṛtaṃ ca svajanaṃ na jñāsyasi kadācana | sukhitaṃ duḥkhitaṃ vāpi nanu boddhavyam ātmanā ||
毗湿摩说：“当亲族既死，离此世而去，你便永不能确知他是乐是苦。因此，此事当自内心反观而明。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Since the post-death state of a departed relative cannot be known with certainty, one should not let speculative beliefs govern one’s conduct; instead, one must use one’s own discernment and inner reflection to act rightly.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction, Bhishma counsels the listener on how to think about death and bereavement, emphasizing the limits of knowledge about the dead and urging personal contemplation as the basis for ethical steadiness.