Shloka 25
Janamejaya’s Appeal for Pacification and Śaunaka’s Counsel on Humility (जनमेजय-शौनक संवादः)
अहो मम नृशंसस्य गर्हितस्य स्वकर्मणा | अधर्म: सुमहान् घोरो भविष्यति न संशय:,अहो! अपने कर्मसे निन्दित हुए मुझ क्रूरकर्मा व्याधके जीवनमें यह सबसे भयंकर और महान् पाप होगा, इसमें संशय नहीं है
aho mama nṛśaṁsasya garhitasya svakarmaṇā | adharmaḥ sumahān ghoro bhaviṣyati na saṁśayaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “Alas! Through my own deeds I have become a condemned and cruel man. There is no doubt that for me this will amount to a vast and dreadful act of adharma—an ethical ruin of the gravest kind.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes moral accountability: one’s own actions can render one blameworthy, and the consequence is not merely social censure but a profound fall into adharma. It highlights inner recognition of wrongdoing and the certainty of ethical consequences.
Bhishma, speaking in the Shanti Parva’s reflective and didactic setting, laments his condition and deeds. He acknowledges that his own conduct has made him censurable and foresees a grave moral outcome, framing the discussion in terms of dharma versus adharma.