Shloka 31
Bhīṣma–Śiśupāla-saṃvādaḥ
Bhishma and Shishupala’s exchange in the assembly
वृद्ध: किल समुद्रान्ते कश्चिद्धंसो5भवत् पुरा । धर्मवागन्यथावृत्त: पक्षिण: सोडनुशास्ति च
vṛddhaḥ kila samudrānte kaścid haṃso 'bhavat purā | dharmavāg anyathāvṛttaḥ pakṣiṇaḥ so 'nuśāsti ca ||
Śiśupāla sprach: „Vor langer Zeit lebte am Ufer des Meeres ein alter Schwan. Er redete in erhabenen Worten von Dharma, doch sein eigenes Verhalten stand im Widerspruch dazu. Dennoch belehrte er die anderen Vögel unablässig: ‚Übt Dharma; haltet euch fern von Adharma.‘ So hörten die Vögel immer wieder sittliche Mahnung aus dem Mund jenes Schwans, der sich als stets wahrhaftig gab.“
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical problem of preaching dharma while living contrary to it—warning that moral authority is undermined when conduct does not match counsel.
Śiśupāla introduces an illustrative tale: an old swan living by the sea continually advises other birds to follow dharma and avoid adharma, even though his own behavior contradicts his righteous speech.