Shloka 16
Kāpavya-carita (कापव्यचरित) — Reforming Dasyus through Regulated Rāja-Dharma
अपरे नैवमिच्छन्ति ये शंखलिखितप्रिया: । मात्सर्यादथवा लोभान्न ब्रूयुर्वाक्यमीदूशम्
apare naivam icchanti ye śaṅkha-likhita-priyāḥ | mātsaryād athavā lobhān na brūyur vākyam īdṛśam ||
Bhīṣma dit : «D’autres pourtant—ceux qui sont dévoués aux sages Śaṅkha et Likhita—n’acceptent pas cette opinion. Cependant, ils ne tiennent pas de tels propos par jalousie ni par avidité ; ils parlent selon ce qu’ils tiennent pour le dharma.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma distinguishes disagreement in dharma from bad faith: some reject a certain opinion because they follow another authoritative tradition (Śaṅkha–Likhita), and their rejection is not necessarily driven by envy or greed but by their understanding of righteousness.
In the Śānti discussions on dharma, Bhīṣma notes that multiple schools of legal-ethical reasoning exist. He acknowledges an opposing camp aligned with Śaṅkha and Likhita and clarifies that their contrary stance should be read as principled, not as self-interested polemic.