Shloka 20
भीष्मस्य भीमसेन-निरोधः
Bhīṣma checks Bhīmasena; matched engagements intensify
सुबहूनि नृशंसानि पुत्रैस्तव जनेश्वर,जनेश्वर! आपके पुत्रोंने नीच मनुष्योंकी भाँति पाण्डवोंके प्रति बहुत-से क्रूरतापूर्ण बर्ताव तथा छल-कपट किये हैं, परंतु आपके पुत्रोंका वह सारा अपराध भुलाकर पाण्डव सदा उन दोषोंपर पर्दा ही डालते आये हैं। पाण्डुके बड़े भाई महाराज! इसपर भी आपके पुत्र इन पाण्डवोंको अधिक आदर नहीं देते हैं
sañjaya uvāca | bahūni nṛśaṃsāni putrais tava janeśvara, janeśvara! pāṇḍavān prati nīcānāṃ manuṣyāṇāṃ iva bahūni krūratāpūrṇāni vyavahārāṇi chala-kapaṭāni ca kṛtāni; kintu putrāṇāṃ tava tat sarvam aparādham vismṛtya pāṇḍavāḥ sadā teṣu doṣeṣu āvaraṇam eva kṛtvā āgatāḥ. pāṇḍoḥ jyeṣṭha bhrātā mahārāja! tathāpi tava putrā etān pāṇḍavān adhikaṃ ādaraṃ na dadati.
Sañjaya said: “O lord of men—O king! Your sons, behaving like base men, have committed many cruel acts and deceptions against the Pandavas. Yet the Pandavas, setting aside and as though forgetting all those offenses, have long continued to cover those faults rather than expose them. Even so, O great king, elder brother of Pandu, your sons do not show these Pandavas the respect they deserve.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Cruelty and deceit toward kin violate dharma, while the Pandavas’ restraint—choosing to conceal others’ faults rather than publicize them—highlights forbearance and ethical self-control; yet persistent disrespect from the wrongdoers shows how unrepented adharma hardens into further injustice.
Sanjaya addresses Dhritarashtra, reminding him that his sons have repeatedly wronged the Pandavas through harsh conduct and deception. He notes that the Pandavas have long tolerated this by overlooking and covering those offenses, but despite such patience, the Kauravas still fail to honor them properly—intensifying the moral indictment that precedes the war.