Shloka 9
Śiśupāla-vadha in the Rājasūya-sabhā (शिशुपालवधः — राजसूयसभायाम्)
वैशम्पायन उवाच तस्य तद् वचन श्रुत्वा रूक्ष॑ रूक्षाक्षरं बहु | चुकोप बलिनां श्रेष्ठो भीमसेन: प्रतापवान्,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! शिशुपालकी बातें बड़ी रूखी थीं। उनका एक- एक अक्षर कटुतासे भरा हुआ था। उन्हें सुनकर बलवानोंमें श्रेष्ठ प्रतापी भीमसेन क्रोधाग्निसे जल उठे
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: tasya tad vacanaṃ śrutvā rūkṣaṃ rūkṣākṣaraṃ bahu | cukopa balināṃ śreṣṭho Bhīmasenaḥ pratāpavān ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Als er seine Worte hörte—rau, voller vieler schroffer und stechender Silben—flammte Bhīmasena, der Hervorragendste unter den Starken und von großer Kraft, in Zorn auf.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of speech: harsh, cutting words (rūkṣa, rūkṣākṣara) can inflame anger and destabilize social order, even among the great. It implicitly commends restraint in speech as part of dharma and warns that verbal cruelty can become a seed of larger violence.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that upon hearing a person’s extremely harsh and bitter speech, Bhīmasena—renowned for strength and valor—becomes intensely angry. The scene marks a turning point where insulting language provokes a powerful reaction in the assembly context.