Shloka 21
ऋत्विग्धर्मः, दक्षिणा-न्यायः, तपसः परमार्थः
Ritvij-Dharma, the Norm of Dakṣiṇā, and the Higher Meaning of Tapas
सर्व जिद्ठां मृत्युपदमार्जवं ब्रह्मण: पदम् । एतावान् ज्ञानविषय: कि प्रलाप: करिष्यति
sarvaṁ jihvāṁ mṛtyu-padam ārjavaṁ brahmaṇaḥ padam | etāvān jñāna-viṣayaḥ kiṁ pralāpaḥ kariṣyati ||
毗湿摩说道：“一切诡曲，皆是通往死亡之途的驿站；唯有正直坦然，才是通向梵（Brahman）的驿站。真正的知识之域，不过如此——再多空谈，又有何用？”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma contrasts moral crookedness (kutilatā) with straightforward sincerity (ārjava): deceit and duplicity lead to ruin, while simplicity and rectitude lead toward Brahman (liberation). He dismisses further clever argumentation as mere pralāpa—talk without transformative value.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira. Here he distills the ethical message into a sharp maxim: cultivate straightforwardness as the spiritual path, and avoid vain disputation or rhetorical excess.