Shloka 16

Devanagari script

अपरे नैवमिच्छन्ति ये शंखलिखितप्रिया: । मात्सर्यादथवा लोभान्न ब्रूयुर्वाक्यमीदूशम्‌,किंतु जो शंख और लिखित मुनिके प्रेमी हैं--उन्हींके मतका अनुसरण करनेवाले हैं, वे दूसरे-दूसरे लोग इस उपर्युक्त मत (ऋत्विक्‌ आदिको दण्ड न देने आदि) को नहीं स्वीकार करते हैं। वे लोग ईर्ष्या अथवा लोभसे ऐसी बात नहीं कहते हैं (धर्म मानकर ही कहते हैं)

Transliteration

apare naivam icchanti ye śaṅkha-likhita-priyāḥ | mātsaryād athavā lobhān na brūyur vākyam īdṛśam ||

Translation

ビーシュマは言った。「しかし他の者たち――聖仙シャṅカ（Śaṅkha）とリキタ（Likhita）を敬愛する者たち――はこの見解を受け入れない。とはいえ、彼らがそのように語るのは嫉みや貪りからではない。彼らは自らがダルマとみなすところに従って語るのだ。」

Word by Word

अपरेothers

नnot

एवम्thus, in this way

इच्छन्तिdesire, wish

येwho, those who

शंखलिखितप्रिया:fond of (the sages) Śaṅkha and Likhita / fond of Śaṅkha-Likhita

मात्सर्यात्from envy, out of jealousy

अथवाor

लोभात्from greed, out of greed

नnot

ब्रूयुःwould say, should say

वाक्यम्statement, speech

ईदृशम्such, of this kind

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Śaṅkha

Likhita

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.