Shloka 4
त्वादृशो धर्मयुक्तो हि कुर्वाण: प्रियकाम्यया । भवत्यभ्यधिकं भीष्म लोकेष्ववमत: सताम्,भीष्म तुम्हारे-जैसा धर्मात्मा पुरुष भी जब मनमाना अथवा किसीका प्रिय करनेके लिये मुँहदेखी करने लगता है, तब वह साधु पुरुषोंके समाजमें अधिक अपमानका पात्र बन जाता है
tvādṛśo dharmayukto hi kurvāṇaḥ priyakāmyayā | bhavaty abhyadhikaṃ bhīṣma lokeṣv avamataḥ satām ||
O Bhīṣma, when a man like you—steadfastly aligned with dharma—acts out of a desire to please and indulges in favor-seeking, he becomes even more contemptible in the eyes of the good people of the world.
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person renowned for dharma is judged more strictly: if such a person compromises principles to please others, the resulting dishonor is greater. Moral authority depends on integrity, not on seeking approval.
In the royal assembly context of the Sabha Parva, Śiśupāla addresses Bhīṣma sharply, accusing him of acting from favor-seeking rather than dharma, and warns that such conduct makes even a righteous elder an object of greater contempt among the virtuous.