Shloka 17
भीष्मस्य सेनापत्यप्रतिज्ञा तथा रथसंख्यावर्णनम् | Bhishma Accepts Command and Enumerates Kaurava Strength
अभिमानस्यथ दर्पस्य क्रोधपारुष्ययोस्तथा । नैप्ठुयस्यावलेपस्य आत्मसम्भावनस्य च
abhimānasyatha darpasya krodhapāruṣyayostathā | naiṣṭhuryasyāvalepasyātmasambhāvanasya ca
Sañjaya said: “(He spoke of the faults) of self-conceit and arrogance, of anger and harshness, and likewise of cruelty, insolent pride, and self-exaltation—vices that corrode judgment and undermine righteous conduct.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse lists inner vices—conceit, arrogance, anger, harsh speech, cruelty, insolence, and self-exaltation—as moral dangers that distort judgment and lead one away from dharma; restraint and humility are implied antidotes.
Sañjaya is reporting a discourse in which these negative traits are being enumerated as blameworthy qualities, framing the ethical critique that underlies the political and martial tensions of the Udyoga Parva.