Shloka 11
भीष्मकृतः पाण्डवपक्ष-महारथ-प्रशंसा
Bhishma’s appraisal of Pandava-aligned chariot-warriors
पितामह यथेष्ट॑ मां वाकृशरैरुपकृन्तसि । अनागसं सदा द्वेषादेवमेव पदे पदे
pitāmaha yatheṣṭaṁ māṁ vāk-śaraiḥ upakṛntasi | anāgasaṁ sadā dveṣād evam eva pade pade ||
Karna sagte: „O Pitāmaha, ehrwürdiger Ahn! Du verwundest mich nach Belieben mit Pfeilen aus scharfen Worten. Obwohl ich ohne Schuld bin, triffst du mich aus bloßem, beständigem Hass so immer wieder, Schritt für Schritt.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical harm of hostile speech: even without physical violence, words can become ‘arrows’ that injure the blameless, and hatred makes such injury habitual. It implicitly upholds restraint, fairness, and accountability in speech as part of dharma.
Bhīṣma addresses an elder as ‘Pitāmaha’ and complains that he is being repeatedly attacked through harsh, cutting words despite having committed no offense, attributing the repeated verbal assaults to persistent hatred.