Shloka 30
Śakuni–Duryodhana-saṃvāda: Dyūta-yojanā (Śakuni and Duryodhana on Planning the Dice-Game)
सा हि मांसार्गलं भीष्म मुखात् सिंहस्य खादत: । दन्तान्तरविलग्नं यत् तदादत्तेडल्पचेतना,भीष्म! वह मूर्ख चिड़िया मांस खाते हुए सिंहके दाँतोंमें लगे हुए मांसके टुकड़ेको अपनी चोंचसे चुगती रहती है
sā hi māṁsārgalā bhīṣma mukhāt siṁhasya khādataḥ | dantāntaravilagnaṁ yat tad ādatte ’lpa-cetanā ||
O Bhīṣma, that dull-witted bird called the “meat-pick” keeps pecking at the scraps of flesh stuck between the teeth of a lion while it is eating. With this biting image, Śiśupāla mocks the one who, before overwhelming power, presumes to snatch petty gains and to lecture or meddle beyond his station—an ethical warning against shameless opportunism and reckless speech before the mighty.
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a sharp metaphor to criticize petty, shameless opportunism and reckless speech: a small creature daring to pick scraps from a lion’s mouth symbolizes a person who, lacking discernment, meddles or grabs minor advantage in the presence of great power—inviting danger and moral blame.
In the royal assembly context, Śiśupāla addresses Bhīṣma with contempt, employing a vivid image (a bird pecking meat from between a lion’s teeth) to deride Bhīṣma’s stance and to portray him as foolishly interfering or seeking trifling gains amid formidable forces.