Shloka 15
Nārada–Vāyu–Śalmali Upākhyāna: Enmity with the Strong and the Primacy of Buddhi (नारद-वायु-शल्मलि उपाख्यानम्)
पितृवंशमिमं पश्य त्वत्कृते नरकं गतम् । निरर्था: सर्व एवैषामाशाबन्धास्त्वदाश्रया:,“परंतु तेरे कारण तेरे पितरोंका यह समुदाय नरकमें पड़ गया है। तू आँख उठाकर उनकी दशा देख ले। उन्होंने तुझसे जो जो आशाएँ बाँध रक्खी थीं, उनकी वे सभी आशाएँ आज व्यर्थ हो गयीं
pitṛvaṁśam imaṁ paśya tvatkṛte narakaṁ gatam | nirarthāḥ sarva evaiṣām āśābandhās tvadāśrayāḥ ||
पितृवंशमिमं पश्य त्वत्कृते नरकं गतम् । निरर्थाः सर्व एवैषामाशाबन्धास्त्वदाश्रयाः ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One must act with responsibility toward dharma and family obligations: personal misconduct can destroy the welfare and posthumous standing of one’s lineage, making the ancestors’ hopes and dependence futile.
Bhishma rebukes and admonishes the listener, urging him to ‘see’ the suffering of his forefathers, asserting that the listener’s actions have caused their downfall and nullified the expectations they placed upon him.