Shloka 48
भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या
Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa
हेतुवादान् प्रवदिता वक्ता संसत्सु हेतुमत् । आक्रोष्टा चाभिवक्ता च ब्रह्म॒वाक्येषु च द्विजान्
hetuvādān pravaditā vaktā saṃsatsu hetumat | ākroṣṭā cābhivaktā ca brahmavākyeṣu ca dvijān |
Dijo Bhīṣma: En las asambleas solía presentar argumentos y hablar siempre cargado de razones y disputa. Y cuando los brāhmaṇas eruditos meditaban con reverencia sobre las sagradas palabras védicas, yo los acometía con violencia—insultándolos y contradiciéndolos—para exhibir mi propia lógica contenciosa.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma condemns the arrogant misuse of logic in sacred or learned settings: reasoned speech should serve truth and dharma, not ego, insult, or the humiliation of the wise—especially when discussing Vedic teachings.
Bhishma is recounting his own past conduct: in assemblies he habitually argued and debated, and when Brahmins discussed Vedic statements with reverence, he would aggressively interrupt, abuse, and contradict them, asserting his own contentious reasoning.