Shloka 25
Ānṛśaṃsya, Amātya-Guṇa, and Reconciliatory Counsel (आनृशंस्य–अमात्यगुण–संधि-उपदेशः)
नावमन्यामि ते बुद्धि नावमन्ये च पौरुषम् । नावमन्ये जयामीति जितवद् वर्ततां भवान्
nāvamanyāmi te buddhiṁ nāvamanye ca pauruṣam | nāvamanye jayāmīti jitavad vartatāṁ bhavān ||
Bhishma dijo: “No menosprecio tu inteligencia, ni rebajo tu esfuerzo varonil. Tampoco te desdeño con el pensamiento: ‘Yo he vencido’. Por ello, condúcete como quien ha ganado: firme, digno y sin mezquindad.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Victory should not become a pretext for contempt. One should honor another’s intelligence and effort, and even when successful, maintain restraint, dignity, and respectful conduct—behaving as a true victor rather than as an arrogant conqueror.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma is instructing on righteous conduct. Here he addresses an interlocutor respectfully, clarifying that he is not insulting their judgment or valor, and urges them to act with the composure and nobility expected of someone who has prevailed.