Shloka 12
Vipulopākhyāna—Ruci-rakṣā and Śakra’s Māyā (विपुलोपाख्यानम्—रुचिरक्षणं शक्रमाया च)
भवेत् पण्डितमानी यो ब्राह्मणो वेदनिन्दक: । आन्वीक्षिकीं तर्कविद्यामनुरक्तो निरर्थिकाम्
bhavet paṇḍitamānī yo brāhmaṇo vedanindakaḥ | ānvīkṣikīṁ tarkavidyām anurakto nirarthikām ||
Bhishma said: A brāhmaṇa who is puffed up with the conceit of learning, who disparages the Vedas, and who becomes attached to mere ānvīkṣikī—logic and disputation that is purposeless—should be regarded as untouchable. The wise have likened such a man to a dog.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Learning without humility becomes adharma: when a person uses logic merely to win arguments and to denigrate the Vedas, such reasoning is called fruitless. True wisdom supports dharma, disciplined speech, and scripturally aligned reasoning rather than prideful disputation.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on conduct and dharma, he describes a type of brāhmaṇa who is arrogant about scholarship and hostile to Vedic authority, being devoted to empty debate. Bhīṣma declares that such a person should be socially shunned, and notes that the wise compare him to a dog.