Shloka 32
Bhīṣma–Śiśupāla-saṃvādaḥ
Bhishma and Shishupala’s exchange in the assembly
धर्म चरत माधर्ममिति तस्य वच: किल । पक्षिण: शुश्रुवुर्भीष्म सततं सत्यवादिन:
dharmaṁ carata mādharmam iti tasya vacaḥ kila | pakṣiṇaḥ śuśruvur bhīṣma satataṁ satyavādinaḥ ||
„Übt Dharma, übt nicht Adharma“ — so lautete, wie man erzählt, sein Spruch. O Bhīṣma, die Vögel hörten diese Mahnung immer wieder von ihm, der als beständiger Wahrredner galt. Doch der Kern der Geschichte ist: Sein Tun widersprach seiner Predigt; er wies andere zur Rechtschaffenheit an, während er selbst anders lebte.
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between preaching and practice: exhortations to dharma are hollow if one’s own conduct contradicts them. It implicitly critiques moral hypocrisy—being a ‘truth-speaker’ in words is not the same as being righteous in action.
Śiśupāla addresses Bhīṣma and introduces a proverbial account: a figure repeatedly tells others (here, birds) to follow dharma and avoid adharma. The surrounding story context (as commonly explained in the tradition) underscores that the speaker’s behavior does not match his advice, setting up a moral comparison or rebuke.