Shloka 21
आपद्धर्मे कोशबलन्यायः | Treasury, Force, and Crisis-Ethics for the King
मुनिर्वाच महर्षिभ्भगवांस्तेन पूर्वमासीद् विमानित: । बालिशां बुद्धिमास्थाय मन्दभाग्यतया55त्मन:
munir uvāca maharṣir bhagavāṁs tena pūrvam āsīd vimānitaḥ | bāliśāṁ buddhim āsthāya mandabhāgyatayātmanaḥ ||
Vị hiền triết nói: “Thuở trước, bậc đại thánh hiền đáng tôn kính ấy đã bị khinh miệt. Vì vận số bất hạnh của chính mình, ngài đã hạ mình theo lối nghĩ của kẻ ngu muội—tự đặt mình ngang hàng họ—nên mới bị coi thường.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical warning: when a wise person adopts the mindset and standards of the foolish, he risks losing dignity and being disrespected. Wisdom should not be compromised by conforming to ignorance; one should maintain discernment and self-respect aligned with dharma.
Within Bhīṣma’s discourse in Śānti Parva, a quoted speaker (“the sage said”) recounts that a revered great seer was previously insulted. The reason given is that, due to his own misfortune, he took on the understanding of the foolish, which led to his being slighted.