Shloka 19
Śulka, Kanyā, and Dauhitra-Riktha: Discourse on Bride-Price and Inheritance Rights (शुल्क-कन्या-दौहित्र-रिक्थविचारः)
त्वं शीघ्र गच्छसीत्येकोब्रवीज्नेति तथा पर: । नेति नेति च तौ राजन् परस्परमथोचतु:
tvaṁ śīghraṁ gacchasīty eko 'bravīj neti tathā paraḥ | neti neti ca tau rājan parasparam athocatuḥ || nareśvara! ekane kahā—“tuma jaldī-jaldī calate ho।” dūsare ne kahā, “nahīṁ।” is prakāra donoṁ eka-dūsare par doṣāropaṇa karate hue eka-dūsare ko “nahīṁ-nahīṁ” kaha rahe the |
Bhishma dijo: «Uno dijo: “Caminas demasiado rápido”. El otro respondió: “No”. Entonces, oh rey, ambos repetían “No, no”, contradiciéndose y culpándose mutuamente. Así, oh señor de los hombres, cayeron en la acusación recíproca en vez de la comprensión mutua.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how disagreement can devolve into mere negation and mutual blame. Ethically, it cautions against reactive speech and urges restraint, clarity, and a willingness to understand the other rather than escalating conflict through contradiction.
Bhishma describes a small dispute between two people: one accuses the other of walking too fast, the other denies it, and they continue exchanging ‘no, no,’ each faulting the other. The scene serves as an example of how quarrels arise and persist through mutual accusation.