Shloka 57

Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)

Devanagari script

न हि तेषामहं द्रुग्धस्तत्तेषां दोषदर्शनम्‌ अरेहिं दुर्ह्वदाद्‌ भेयं भग्नपुच्छादिवोरगात्‌

Transliteration

na hi teṣām ahaṁ drugdhas tat teṣāṁ doṣa-darśanam | arehiṁ durhṛdād bhīyaṁ bhagna-pucchād ivoragāt ||

Translation

ভীষ্ম বললেন— “আমি তাদের প্রতি কোনো দ্ৰোহ পোষণ করি না; তবু তারা আমাকে দোষদৃষ্টিতে দেখতে শুরু করেছে। যার লেজ চূর্ণ হয়েছে এমন সাপের মতো দুষ্টহৃদয় শত্রুর থেকে সর্বদা সতর্ক থাকা উচিত—কারণ এমন বৈরী আরও বেশি বিপজ্জনক হয়ে ওঠে।”

Word by Word

• {'na hi': 'indeed not

• certainly not', 'teṣām': 'their', 'aham': 'I', 'drugdhaḥ (≈ dṛgdhā/drugdhaḥ)': 'malicious

• bearing ill-will', 'tat': 'yet

• nevertheless', 'doṣa-darśanam': 'seeing faults

• fault-finding attitude', 'ari': 'enemy', 'durhṛd': 'wicked-hearted

• ill-intentioned', 'bhīyam': 'to be feared

• one should fear', 'bhagna': 'broken

• crushed', 'puccha': 'tail', 'iva': 'like

• as', 'uraga': 'serpent'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• enemy (ari)
• serpent (uraga)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even if one harbors no hostility, others may adopt a fault-finding stance; therefore, one should exercise prudent caution toward a wicked-hearted enemy, who can become more dangerous when hurt or humiliated—like a serpent with its tail crushed.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma reflects on a situation where others have begun to view him with suspicion and criticism despite his lack of malice. He uses a vivid analogy—an injured serpent—to justify vigilance and the desire not to remain in a place where hostile intent has arisen.