Shloka 120

आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः

Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca

Devanagari script

कार्यार्थे कृतसंधानौ दृष्टवा मार्जारमूषिकौ

Transliteration

kāryārthe kṛtasandhānau dṛṣṭvā mārjāramūṣikau

Translation

ビーシュマは言った。「ある務めを成し遂げるために互いに取り決めを結んだ猫と鼠を見て、私はその便宜の同盟を示す。生来の敵であっても、共通の目的に駆られれば一時は手を結ぶことがある。しかしその結びつきには、振る舞いの上での慎重さと明晰な分別が要る。」

Word by Word

• कार्यार्थे: for the sake of a task / in the matter of an objective
• कार्यार्थे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्यार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• कृतसंधानौ: having made an alliance / having formed a pact
• कृतसंधानौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृतसंधान
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund)

• मार्जारमूषिकौ: the cat and the mouse
• मार्जारमूषिकौ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्जारमूषिक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Dual

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• cat (mārjāra)
• mouse (mūṣika)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even hostile parties may enter a temporary alliance to achieve a shared goal; dharma requires discernment—understanding motive, limits of trust, and the risks of convenience-based friendship.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma introduces an illustrative scene: a cat and a mouse are observed to have made a pact for a specific purpose, setting up a moral reflection on strategic cooperation and the dangers of alliances between natural adversaries.