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 |
Bhīṣma dit : Dans les assemblées, je mettais en avant des arguments et je parlais toujours chargé de raisons et de controverse. Et lorsque des brāhmaṇa savants réfléchissaient avec révérence aux paroles sacrées des Veda, je les attaquais avec force—les injuriant et les contredisant—afin d’étaler ma propre logique querelleuse.
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.