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 ||
Bhishma disse: “Assim, meu filho, a tristeza e a exaltação, o desejo e o ódio, e também o orgulho excessivo e a fala contenciosa e exagerada—tais faltas penetram num dvijādhama, um brâmane vil.”
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.