Shloka 100
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
एवमुक्तस्तु मार्जारो मूषिकेणात्मनो हितम् । वचन वाक्यतत्त्वज्ञो जीवितार्थी महामति:
evam uktas tu mārjāro mūṣikeṇātmano hitam | vacana-vākya-tattvajño jīvitārthī mahāmatiḥ ||
ビーシュマは言った。鼠にそう告げられると、猫は—言葉と文の真意を鋭く見抜き、己が命を守ることに心を定め、しかも大いなる知恵を備えた者—自らの利益と称するところを述べて語り出した。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment in communication: a clever agent understands the hidden purport of speech (vacana-vākya-tattva) and speaks strategically for self-preservation. Ethically, it warns that eloquence and apparent reasonableness may serve self-interest, so one should judge intent, not merely words.
In Bhishma’s narration, after the mouse speaks to the cat, the cat—portrayed as highly intelligent and attentive to the meaning behind words—responds by presenting what he frames as his own ‘benefit,’ setting up the next move in their exchange.