Shloka 14
Śakuni–Duryodhana-saṃvāda: Dyūta-yojanā (Śakuni and Duryodhana on Planning the Dice-Game)
द्रोणस्य हि सम॑ युद्धे न पश्यामि नराधिपम् । नाश्वृत्थाम्न: समं भीष्म न च तौ स्तोतुमिच्छसि
droṇasya hi samaṁ yuddhe na paśyāmi narādhipam | nāśvatthāmnaḥ samaṁ bhīṣma na ca tau stotum icchasi ||
भीष्म! युद्ध में मुझे कोई भी नराधिप द्रोण के समान नहीं दिखता; और न ही अश्वत्थामा के समान। फिर भी तुम उन दोनों की स्तुति करना नहीं चाहते।
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how public praise and reputation in a royal assembly are contested through rhetoric: Śiśupāla appeals to widely acknowledged martial excellence (Droṇa and Aśvatthāman) to challenge Bhīṣma’s stance, implying that withholding praise can be a deliberate ethical-political choice rather than ignorance.
In the Sabha assembly context, Śiśupāla addresses Bhīṣma and argues that no king matches Droṇa or Aśvatthāman in warfare; he then questions why Bhīṣma is unwilling to eulogize them, using their fame as a lever in the ongoing debate and rivalry of honor.