Shloka 8

Śiśupāla-vadha in the Rājasūya-sabhā (शिशुपालवधः — राजसूयसभायाम्)

Devanagari script

अथ वा नैतदाश्षर्य येषां त्वमसि भारत । स्त्रीसधर्मा च वृद्धश्न सर्वार्थानां प्रदर्शक:,अथवा भारत! स्त्रीके समान धर्मवाले (नपुंसक) और बूढ़े तुम-जैसे लोग जिनके सभी कार्योमें पथ-प्रदर्शन करते हैं, उनका ऐसा समझना कोई आश्चर्यकी बात नहीं है

Transliteration

atha vā naitad āścaryaṁ yeṣāṁ tvam asi bhārata | strī-sadharmā ca vṛddhaś ca sarvārthānāṁ pradarśakaḥ ||

Translation

അല്ലെങ്കിൽ, ഓ ഭാരതാ! ഇതിൽ അത്ഭുതമെന്ത്? (എന്റെ ആരോപണമനുസരിച്ച്) സ്ത്രീസദൃശ സ്വഭാവവും വാർദ്ധക്യവും ഉള്ള നിനക്കുപോലെയുള്ളവൻ എല്ലാ കാര്യങ്ങളിലും മാർഗദർശകനായിരിക്കുന്നവർക്ക് ഇത്തരമൊരു വിധി സ്വാഭാവികം തന്നെയല്ലോ.

Word by Word

अथnow/then

वाor

नnot

एतत्this

आश्चर्यम्a wonder/surprise

येषाम्of whom/for whom

त्वम्you

असिare

भारतO Bharata

स्त्री-सधर्माःhaving the nature/dharma of women

चand

वृद्धाःold/aged

सर्व-अर्थानाम्of all matters/objects

प्रदर्शकाःguides/showers (of the way)

Speaker

शिशुपाल उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śiśupāla

Bhārata (addressee)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse illustrates adharma in speech: Śiśupāla uses personal abuse and gendered/age-based slurs to undermine authority instead of offering reasoned, dharmic argument. It highlights how rhetoric can be weaponized to shame opponents in royal assemblies.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the royal assembly context of the Sabha Parva, Śiśupāla is speaking aggressively, addressing someone as “Bhārata,” and mocking him as effeminate and old, claiming it is unsurprising that others follow such a guide in all matters—thereby attempting to discredit the addressee and those aligned with him.