Shloka 19

निन्दाप्रशंसाकुशला: कीर्त्यकीर्तिपरायणा: । परिकुप्यन्ति ते राजन्‌ सतत द्विषतां द्विजा:,निन्दा और प्रशंसामें निपुण तथा लोगोंके यश और अपयशको बढ़ानेमें तत्पर रहनेवाले द्विज अपने प्रति सदा द्वेष रखनेवालोंपर कुपित हो उठते हैं

nindāpraśaṃsākuśalāḥ kīrtyakīrtiparāyaṇāḥ | parikupyanti te rājan satataṃ dviṣatāṃ dvijāḥ ||

ภีษมะกล่าวว่า “ข้าแต่พระราชา พราหมณ์ผู้ชำนาญในการกล่าวติและสรรเสริญ และมุ่งหมายจะขยายชื่อเสียงหรือความอัปยศของผู้คน ย่อมถูกยั่วให้เดือดดาล—โกรธอยู่เนืองนิตย์—ต่อผู้ที่ผูกเวรพยาบาทต่อเขาไม่รู้สิ้น”

निन्दा-प्रशंसा-कुशलाःskilled in censure and praise
निन्दा-प्रशंसा-कुशलाः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootनिन्दा + प्रशंसा + कुशल
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
कीर्ति-अकीर्ति-परायणाःdevoted to (promoting) fame and infamy
कीर्ति-अकीर्ति-परायणाः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootकीर्ति + अकीर्ति + परायण
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
परिकुप्यन्तिbecome enraged
परिकुप्यन्ति:
TypeVerb
Rootपरि + कुप्
FormPresent, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada
तेthose
ते:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
राजन्O king
राजन्:
TypeNoun
Rootराजन्
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
सततम्always
सततम्:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootसतत
द्विषताम्of the haters / of hostile people
द्विषताम्:
TypeNoun
Rootद्विषत्
FormMasculine, Genitive, Plural
द्विजाःBrahmins (twice-born)
द्विजाः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootद्विज
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural

भीष्म उवाच

B
Bhishma
K
King (Yudhishthira, addressed as rājan)
D
Dvija (brahmins)

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.