Shloka 57

Treasury Security, Protection of Informants, and the Kalakavṛkṣīya Exemplum (Śānti Parva 83)

Devanagari script

न हि तेषामहं द्रुग्धस्तत्तेषां दोषदर्शनम्‌ अरेहिं दुर्ह्वदाद्‌ भेयं भग्नपुच्छादिवोरगात्‌,यद्यपि मैं इन लोगोंसे द्रोह नहीं करता तो भी मेरे प्रति इन लोगोंकी दोष-दृष्टि हो गयी है। जिसकी पूँछ दबा दी गयी हो, उस सर्पके समान दुष्ट हृदयवाले शत्रुसे सदा डरते रहना चाहिये (इसलिये अब मैं यहाँ रहना नहीं चाहता)

Transliteration

na hi teṣām ahaṁ drugdhas tat teṣāṁ doṣa-darśanam | arehiṁ durhṛdād bhīyaṁ bhagna-pucchād ivoragāt ||

Translation

Bhishma berkata: “Aku tidak memendam permusuhan terhadap mereka; namun mereka memandangku dengan mata yang mencari-cari cela. Terhadap musuh berhati jahat, orang harus selalu waspada—laksana ular yang ekornya remuk—sebab lawan semacam itu justru menjadi kian berbahaya.”

Word by Word

• {'na hi': 'indeed not

• certainly not', 'teṣām': 'their', 'aham': 'I', 'drugdhaḥ (≈ dṛgdhā/drugdhaḥ)': 'malicious

• bearing ill-will', 'tat': 'yet

• nevertheless', 'doṣa-darśanam': 'seeing faults

• fault-finding attitude', 'ari': 'enemy', 'durhṛd': 'wicked-hearted

• ill-intentioned', 'bhīyam': 'to be feared

• one should fear', 'bhagna': 'broken

• crushed', 'puccha': 'tail', 'iva': 'like

• as', 'uraga': 'serpent'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• enemy (ari)
• serpent (uraga)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even if one harbors no hostility, others may adopt a fault-finding stance; therefore, one should exercise prudent caution toward a wicked-hearted enemy, who can become more dangerous when hurt or humiliated—like a serpent with its tail crushed.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma reflects on a situation where others have begun to view him with suspicion and criticism despite his lack of malice. He uses a vivid analogy—an injured serpent—to justify vigilance and the desire not to remain in a place where hostile intent has arisen.