Shloka 22
ब्राह्मणस्य पूर्वतरा वृत्तिः — The Earlier Ideal Conduct of a Brahmana
River-of-Saṃsāra Metaphor
अशक्तः पूर्वमासीस्त्वं कथज्चिच्छक्ततां गत: । कस्त्वदन्य इमां वाचं सुक्रूरां वक्तुमहीति,किंतु पहले तुममें ऐसा करनेकी शक्ति नहीं थी। अब किसी तरह शक्ति आ गयी है। तुम्हारे सिवा दूसरा कौन ऐसा अत्यन्त क्िरूर वचन कह सकता है?
aśaktaḥ pūrvam āsīs tvaṃ kathaṃcic chaktatāṃ gataḥ | kas tvad anya imāṃ vācaṃ sukrūrāṃ vaktum arhati ||
Bhīṣma said: “Earlier you were powerless; now, somehow, you have come into strength. Who else but you could be fit to utter such exceedingly cruel words?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse censures cruelty in speech: gaining power should not become a license for harsh, wounding words. Ethical restraint (especially in speech) is presented as a mark of dharma, while verbal cruelty is morally blameworthy.
Bhīṣma rebukes the addressee for a sudden change from earlier helplessness to present boldness, and he condemns the person’s utterance as exceptionally cruel—implying that such speech reflects a flawed character rather than true strength.