क्षत्रं चान्ये5भ्यनिन्दन्त भीष्म चान्ये3भ्यपूजयन् । ऋषय: पितरश्रैव प्रशशंसुर्महाव्रतम्
kṣatraṃ cānye ’bhyanindanta bhīṣmaṃ cānye ’bhyapūjayan | ṛṣayaḥ pitarāś caiva praśaśaṃsur mahāvratam ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Unos censuraban el código del guerrero, mientras otros honraban a Bhīṣma. Los rishis y los Padres ancestrales por igual ensalzaron a Bhīṣma, el gran observante de votos—alabando la firmeza de su disciplina de toda la vida aun en medio del tumulto moral de la guerra.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights how dharma is contested in times of conflict: public opinion may condemn or celebrate, but the testimony of sages and ancestors upholds the ethical weight of steadfast vows and disciplined conduct, embodied here by Bhīṣma.
Sañjaya reports mixed reactions around the events of the war: some denounce the kṣatriya path and its violence, while others revere Bhīṣma; meanwhile Ṛṣis and Pitṛs specifically praise Bhīṣma as a great vow-keeper.