Shloka 32
अम्बोपाख्याने तापसानां विचारः तथा होत्रवाहनस्य उपदेशः
Ambā among ascetics; Hotravāhana directs her to Paraśurāma
धिड्मां धिक् शाल्वराजानं धिग् धातारमथापि वा | येषां दुर्नीतभावेन प्राप्तास्म्यापदमुत्तमाम्,“मुझे धिक्कार है, शाल्वराजको धिक्कार है और विधाताको भी धिक््कार है, जिनकी दुर्नीतियोंसे मैं इस भारी विपत्तिमें फँस गयी हूँ
dhik māṃ dhik śālvarājānaṃ dhig dhātāram athāpi vā | yeṣāṃ durnītibhāvena prāptāsmy āpadam uttamām ||
"Shame on me; shame on King Śālva; and shame, too, on the Ordainer (Fate). Through whose evil policy and misgoverned conduct I have been driven into this grievous calamity."
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral accountability: disastrous outcomes arise from durnīti (corrupt counsel, wrongful policy, unethical conduct). It also reflects the human tendency to invoke fate (dhātā) alongside self-blame and blame of others, underscoring the tension between agency and destiny in ethical life.
In Bhīṣma’s discourse, a speaker voices a bitter lament, condemning herself, King Śālva, and even Fate, saying that due to their durnīti she has fallen into a severe calamity. The line functions as a moralized outcry within the larger Udyoga Parva context of counsel, conflict, and the consequences of flawed decisions.