दिष्ट्या धरन्ति ते वीरा दिष्ट्या जीवति सा पृथा ॥
दिष्ट्या पुरोचनः पापो नसकामो ऽत्ययं गतः ॥
तदा प्रभृति गान्धारे न शक्नोम्य् अभिवीक्षितुम् ॥
लोके प्राणभृतां कं चिच् छ्रुत्वा कुन्तीं तथागताम् ॥
diṣṭyā dharanti te vīrā diṣṭyā jīvati sā pṛthā ||
diṣṭyā purocanaḥ pāpo nasakāmo 'tyayaṃ gataḥ ||
tadā prabhṛti gāndhāre na śaknomy abhivīkṣitum ||
loke prāṇabhṛtāṃ kaṃ cic chrutvā kuntīṃ tathāgatām ||
'By good fortune those heroes live, by good fortune that Pritha is alive, by good fortune the sinful Purochana perished without achieving his desire. Since then, O Gandhara-born, I have not been able to look into the face of anyone living in the world, on hearing that Kunti so nearly perished thus.'
7a015d959bf6 · published Jul 12, 2026, 5:54:01 PM UTC
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Here speaks the clear conscience of an elder, ashamed of his family's villainy. It is significant that Bhishma cannot 'look into the face' of people out of shame for the plot to burn Kunti with her sons: the righteous man is tormented by the disgrace his own kin's wrongdoing has caused. Here a living conscience shows itself, for which another's villainy becomes one's own pain. Thus the scripture shows Bhishma's noble shame; and his joy at the innocents' rescue is the measure of his integrity.