Shloka 16
अध्याय १५२: लोभः पापस्य मूलम् — Greed as the Root of Wrongdoing
धिककार्य मां धिक््कुरुते तस्मात् त्वाहं प्रसादये । भीष्मजी कहते हैं--राजन्! मुनिवर इन्दोतके ऐसा कहनेपर जनमेजयने उन्हें इस प्रकार उत्तर दिया--'मुने! मैं घृणा और तिरस्कारके योग्य हूँ; इसीलिये आप मेरा तिरस्कार करते हैं। मैं निनन््दाका पात्र हूँ; इसीलिये बार-बार मेरी निन््दा करते हैं। मैं धिक्कारने और दुतकारनेके ही योग्य हूँ; इसीलिये आपकी ओरसे मुझे धिक्कार मिल रहा है और इसीलिये मैं आपको प्रसन्न करना चाहता हूँ
dhik-kārya māṁ dhik-kurute tasmāt tvāhaṁ prasādaye |
Sabi ni Bhīṣma: «O hari! Nang sabihin iyon ng dakilang muni na si Indota, sumagot si Janamejaya nang ganito: ‘O Muni! Karapat-dapat akong kamuhian at hamakin; kaya mo ako hinahamak. Karapat-dapat akong sawayin; kaya paulit-ulit mo akong sinasaway. Karapat-dapat lamang akong pagalitan at itaboy; kaya tinatanggap ko ang iyong pag-uyam. At dahil diyan mismo, nais kitang bigyang-lugod.’»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models ethical humility: accepting blame without defensiveness and seeking reconciliation. It implies that correction and censure can be instruments for moral improvement, and the proper response is self-examination and a desire to restore right relations.
Within Bhīṣma’s discourse in Śānti Parva, the speaker voices a stance of self-reproach—acknowledging that he deserves rebuke and therefore seeks to appease the other party—framing admonition as a legitimate response to fault and as a step toward ethical realignment.