Shloka 17
प्रतिग्रहभेदः — The Distinction between Giving and Accepting
Vṛṣādarbhī–Saptarṣi Dialogue
अकृतं मुनिश्रि: पूर्व कि मयेदमनुछितम् । कथं नु शापेन न मां दहेयुत्राह्मिणा इति
akṛtaṁ muniśriḥ pūrvaṁ kiṁ mayedam anucitam | kathaṁ nu śāpena na māṁ daheyur brāhmaṇā iti | aho! munibhir yaḥ kāryaḥ pūrvaṁ kadācid api na kṛtaḥ sa mayāiva kṛtaḥ | mama asya manomaya-vyavahārasya darśanāt brāhmaṇāḥ śāpena māṁ kuto na bhasma-kuryuḥ ||
毗湿摩说：“我为何做出这等不当之举——连诸圣仙从未为之的事，我竟做了？婆罗门为何不以诅咒将我焚成灰烬？唉！唯我一人竟行了先见者从未尝试之事；他们见我如此任性自作主张，为何不以咒诅把我化为尘灰？”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a powerful person must remain within dharma and social-ethical propriety (aucitya). When one knowingly performs an improper, unprecedented act, remorse and fear of moral consequence naturally arise; the verse underscores accountability before the spiritual-ethical authority represented by sages and brahmins.
Bhishma reflects with self-reproach on having committed an improper deed—one that even sages had not done. He wonders why the brahmins have not cursed him to ashes, expressing anxiety about the spiritual and ethical repercussions of his willful conduct.