Shloka 24
Śulka, Kanyā, and Dauhitra-Riktha: Discourse on Bride-Price and Inheritance Rights (शुल्क-कन्या-दौहित्र-रिक्थविचारः)
एवं संचिन्तयन्नेव विपुलो राजसत्तम । अवाड्मुखो दीनमना दध्यौ दुष्कृतमात्मन:,नृपश्रेष्ठ! ऐसा सोचते हुए ही विपुल नीचे मुँह किये दीनचित्त हो अपने दुष्कर्मका स्मरण करने लगे
evaṁ sañcintayann eva vipulo rājasattama | avāḍmukho dīnamānā dadhyau duṣkṛtam ātmanaḥ ||
Thus reflecting, Vipula—O best of kings—kept his face lowered and, with a dejected mind, brooded over and recalled his own wrongdoing.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores ethical self-audit: when one recognizes one’s own duṣkṛta (wrongdoing), genuine remorse and inward reflection arise, preparing the mind for correction and, where appropriate, prāyaścitta (atonement) and renewed commitment to dharma.
Bhishma describes Vipula’s reaction after thinking things through: Vipula becomes downcast, lowers his face, and broods over his own misdeeds—an internal turning point marked by shame, sorrow, and moral awareness.