Shloka 25
को हि धर्मोडस्ति ते भीष्म ब्रह्म॒चर्यमिदं वृथा । यद् धारयसि मोहाद् वा क्लीबत्वाद् वा न संशय:,भीष्म! तुम्हारा धर्म कया है! तुम्हारा यह ब्रह्मचर्य भी व्यर्थका ढकोसलामात्र है, जिसे तुमने मोहवश अथवा नपुंसकताके कारण धारण कर रखा है, इसमें संशय नहीं
ko hi dharmo 'sti te bhīṣma brahmacaryam idaṁ vṛthā | yad dhārayasi mohād vā klībatvād vā na saṁśayaḥ ||
“Bhīṣma, what ‘dharma’ do you really have? This vow of celibacy of yours is pointless—mere show—since you maintain it either out of delusion or out of impotence; of that there is no doubt.”
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how ‘dharma’ can be attacked through rhetoric and personal slander: Śiśupāla tries to delegitimize Bhīṣma’s moral authority by portraying his celebrated vow (brahmacarya) as either delusion or incapacity. Ethically, it highlights the difference between genuine virtue and accusations of mere outward show, and how public discourse can weaponize moral language.
In the royal assembly context (Sabha Parva), Śiśupāla delivers a hostile speech targeting respected elders. Here he directly insults Bhīṣma, questioning his dharma and mocking his lifelong celibacy as futile, attempting to undermine Bhīṣma’s standing and the legitimacy of decisions being made in the court.