Shloka 19
Śiśupāla-vadha in the Rājasūya-sabhā (शिशुपालवधः — राजसूयसभायाम्)
मुज्चैनं भीष्म पश्यन्तु यावदेनं नराधिपा: । मत्प्रभावविनिर्दग्ध॑ पतड़मिव वल्निना
muñcainaṃ bhīṣma paśyantu yāvad enaṃ narādhipāḥ | matprabhāvavinirdagdhaḥ pataṅga iva vahninā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Release him, Bhīṣma, so that all these kings may look on. Burnt up by the force of my power, he will be destroyed—like a moth that, drawn to fire, is reduced to ashes.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the moth-and-fire simile to warn against reckless confrontation driven by pride: approaching overwhelming power without discernment leads to self-destruction, and public displays of dominance can intensify adharma in a royal assembly.
In the court setting, the speaker (as reported by Vaiśampāyana) orders Bhīṣma to release a restrained person so the assembled kings can witness him being ‘burnt’ by the speaker’s power—framing the moment as a public demonstration meant to humiliate and deter.