Shloka 21
मुनिर्वाच महर्षिभ्भगवांस्तेन पूर्वमासीद् विमानित: । बालिशां बुद्धिमास्थाय मन्दभाग्यतया55त्मन:
munir uvāca maharṣir bhagavāṁs tena pūrvam āsīd vimānitaḥ | bāliśāṁ buddhim āsthāya mandabhāgyatayātmanaḥ ||
The sage said: “Formerly, that venerable great seer was treated with contempt. Because of his own ill fortune, he adopted the understanding of the foolish—lowering himself to their level—and thus came to be slighted.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical warning: when a wise person adopts the mindset and standards of the foolish, he risks losing dignity and being disrespected. Wisdom should not be compromised by conforming to ignorance; one should maintain discernment and self-respect aligned with dharma.
Within Bhīṣma’s discourse in Śānti Parva, a quoted speaker (“the sage said”) recounts that a revered great seer was previously insulted. The reason given is that, due to his own misfortune, he took on the understanding of the foolish, which led to his being slighted.