Shloka 11
भीष्मकृतः पाण्डवपक्ष-महारथ-प्रशंसा
Bhishma’s appraisal of Pandava-aligned chariot-warriors
पितामह यथेष्ट॑ मां वाकृशरैरुपकृन्तसि । अनागसं सदा द्वेषादेवमेव पदे पदे
pitāmaha yatheṣṭaṁ māṁ vāk-śaraiḥ upakṛntasi | anāgasaṁ sadā dveṣād evam eva pade pade ||
Karṇa nói: “Hỡi Tổ phụ! Người cứ tùy ý làm ta rướm máu bằng những mũi tên lời nói sắc như dao. Dẫu ta vô tội, vì lòng ghét bỏ dai dẳng, người vẫn đánh ta như thế, hết lần này đến lần khác, ở mỗi bước đường.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical harm of hostile speech: even without physical violence, words can become ‘arrows’ that injure the blameless, and hatred makes such injury habitual. It implicitly upholds restraint, fairness, and accountability in speech as part of dharma.
Bhīṣma addresses an elder as ‘Pitāmaha’ and complains that he is being repeatedly attacked through harsh, cutting words despite having committed no offense, attributing the repeated verbal assaults to persistent hatred.