Shloka 14
अध्याय १२२ — कृष्णस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Kṛṣṇa’s Ethical Counsel to Duryodhana
पितामह् उवाच बहुवर्षसहस्रान्तं प्रजापालनवर्धितम् । अनेकक्रतुदानौधैर्यत् त्वयोपार्जितं फलम्
pitāmaha uvāca bahuvarṣasahasrāntaṃ prajā-pālana-vardhitam | aneka-kratu-dāna-aughair yat tvayopārjitaṃ phalam ||
Pitāmaha said: “O king, the merit you amassed over many thousands of years—won through countless sacrifices and torrents of gifts, and then steadily increased by the dharma of protecting your subjects—was all ruined because of the fault of pride. It was for that very arrogance that you were cast down, and the dwellers of heaven reproached you.”
पितामह् उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even vast merit gained through sacrifices, charity, and righteous kingship can be nullified by pride; arrogance leads to moral downfall and loss of honor.
Pitāmaha (Bhīṣma) admonishes a king, explaining that the king’s long-earned spiritual merit—built by yajñas, gifts, and protection of subjects—was destroyed because of pride, resulting in his fall and condemnation by heavenly beings.