Shloka 14
Vītahavya’s Attainment of Brāhmaṇya (Vītahavya–Vipratva) | वीतहव्यस्य ब्राह्मण्यप्राप्तिः
तदेवं शोकहर्षो तु कामद्वेषौ च पुत्रक | अतिमानातिवादौ च प्रविशेते द्विजाधमम्,बेटा! इस प्रकार शोक-हर्ष, राग-द्वेष, अतिमान और अतिवाद आदि दोषोंका अधम द्विजके भीतर प्रवेश होता है
tadevaṁ śokaharṣau tu kāmadveṣau ca putraka | atimānātivādau ca praviśete dvijādhamam ||
മകനേ! ഇങ്ങനെ ശോകവും ഹർഷവും, കാമവും ദ്വേഷവും, അതിമാനവും അതിവാദവും—ഇത്തരം ദോഷങ്ങൾ അധമദ്വിജന്റെ ഉള്ളിൽ പ്രവേശിക്കുന്നു.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma warns that a person who should embody restraint and dharma—especially a ‘twice-born’—falls into moral decline when ruled by emotional extremes (grief/joy), attachment and aversion (desire/hatred), and ego-driven speech and pride (atimāna, ativāda).
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhishma addresses the listener as ‘putraka’ and explains how specific inner faults infiltrate and degrade a Brahmin who has fallen from proper discipline and character.