Shloka 37
Bhīṣma–Śiśupāla-saṃvādaḥ
Bhishma and Shishupala’s exchange in the assembly
ततः प्रत्यक्षतो दृष्टवा पक्षिणस्ते समीपगा: । निजलघ्नुस्तं तदा हंसं मिथ्यावृत्तं कुरूद्वह,कुरुवंशी भीष्म! तब उन पक्षियोंने निकट जाकर सब कुछ प्रत्यक्ष देख लिया और धर्मात्माका मिथ्या ढोंग बनाये हुए उस हंसको मार डाला
tataḥ pratyakṣato dṛṣṭvā pakṣiṇas te samīpagāḥ | nijalaghnus taṃ tadā haṃsaṃ mithyāvṛttaṃ kurūdvaha ||
Then those birds, having come close and seen the matter directly with their own eyes, struck down that swan who was putting on a false show of righteousness—O best of the 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.