Shloka 6
तत्र मेधाविन: केचिदर्थमन्यैरुदीरितम् । विचिक्षिपुर्यथा श्येना नभोगतमिवामिषम्,वहीं कुछ मेधावी पण्डित, जो दूसरोंके कथनमें दोष दिखानेके ही अभ्यासी थे, अन्य लोगोंके कहे हुए अनुमानसाधित विषयको उसी तरह बीचसे ही लोक लेते थे, जैसे बाज मांसके लोथड़ेको आकाशमें ही एक-दूसरेसे छीन लेते हैं
tatra medhāvinaḥ kecid artham anyair udīritam | vicikṣipur yathā śyenā nabhogatam ivāmiṣam ||
There, certain sharp-witted men would snatch away the meaning expressed by others—seizing it mid-course—just as hawks, while still in the sky, wrest a morsel of flesh from one another. The verse portrays a disputatious culture where cleverness is used less for truth-seeking and more for fault-finding and competitive display.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse cautions against using intelligence merely to defeat others in argument. True learning should clarify meaning and serve dharma; fault-finding competitiveness turns discourse into predation, like hawks fighting over meat.
Vaiśampāyana describes an atmosphere where some clever men intercept and appropriate others’ points in discussion, undermining speakers and turning deliberation into a contest of dominance rather than a search for truth.