Shloka 37
Bhīṣma–Śiśupāla-saṃvādaḥ
Bhishma and Shishupala’s exchange in the assembly
ततः प्रत्यक्षतो दृष्टवा पक्षिणस्ते समीपगा: । निजलघ्नुस्तं तदा हंसं मिथ्यावृत्तं कुरूद्वह
tataḥ pratyakṣato dṛṣṭvā pakṣiṇas te samīpagāḥ | nijalaghnus taṃ tadā haṃsaṃ mithyāvṛttaṃ kurūdvaha ||
Dann kamen jene Vögel näher und sahen die Sache mit eigenen Augen; und sie erschlugen den Schwan, der eine falsche Maske der Rechtschaffenheit trug—o Bester der Kurus.
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not a costume: when false righteousness (mithyā-vṛtti) is exposed by direct evidence (pratyakṣa), it loses moral authority and becomes liable to punishment; ethical life demands authenticity, not performative virtue.
Śiśupāla cites an illustrative incident: birds approach, witness the truth firsthand, and then kill a swan who had been maintaining a deceptive façade of righteous conduct—addressing Bhīṣma as ‘best of the Kurus’ to sharpen the moral rebuke.