Shloka 6
Ānṛśaṃsya–Bhakti: Śukaḥ Śakreṇa Parīkṣitaḥ
Compassion and Devotion—The Parrot Tested by Indra
स तीक3्षणविषदिग्धेन शरेणातिबलात् क्षतः । उत्सृज्य फलपत्राणि पादप: शोषमागत:
sa tīkṣṇaviṣadigdhena śareṇātibalāt kṣataḥ | utsṛjya phalapatrāṇi pādapaḥ śoṣam āgataḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: Struck with great force by an arrow smeared with sharp poison, the tree was grievously wounded. Casting off its fruits and leaves, it gradually withered and came to dryness—an image of how a hidden, toxic cause can spread within and destroy life from the inside.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a vivid simile: a single poisoned strike can spread unseen damage until vitality collapses. Ethically, it warns that harmful intent or toxic influence, once introduced, can corrupt an entire system—body, community, or character—leading to inevitable decline.
Bhīṣma describes a tree hit by a powerful arrow coated with sharp poison. The poison spreads through the tree; its fruits and leaves fall away, and it slowly dries up and withers.