Shloka 19
Śakra–Śambara Saṃvāda: Brāhmaṇa-sevā, Anasūyā, and Vāg-bala (शक्रशम्बरसंवादः)
निन्दाप्रशंसाकुशला: कीर्त्यकीर्तिपरायणा: । परिकुप्यन्ति ते राजन् सतत द्विषतां द्विजा:
nindāpraśaṃsākuśalāḥ kīrtyakīrtiparāyaṇāḥ | parikupyanti te rājan satataṃ dviṣatāṃ dvijāḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai Raja, para brahmana yang mahir menakar cela dan puji, serta berhasrat memperbesar kemasyhuran atau kehinaan seseorang, akan tersulut murka—senantiasa marah—kepada mereka yang terus-menerus memendam kebencian terhadapnya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Speech that distributes praise and blame shapes social fame and infamy; those who wield such speech—especially brahmins in their role as moral arbiters—naturally react strongly against persistent hostility. The verse highlights the ethical power of reputation-making discourse and the social consequences of enmity.
In Bhishma’s instruction to the king (Yudhishthira) in the Anushasana Parva, he describes the disposition of certain brahmins: adept at evaluating and publicly characterizing others, they become angered toward people who continually hate them—framing a lesson about conduct, conflict, and the potency of words.