Shloka 2
Śikhaṇḍī-janma-nigūḍha-vṛtta (The concealed birth-account of Śikhaṇḍī) | शिखण्डी-जन्म-निगूढ-वृत्त
स यत्नमकरोत् तीव्र सम्बन्धिन्यनुमानने । दूतैर्मधुरसम्भाषैर्न तदस्तीति संदिशन्
sa yatnam akarot tīvraṃ sambandhiny-anumānane | dūtair madhura-sambhāṣair na tad astīti saṃdiśan ||
Bhīṣma said: He exerted himself intensely to win over and reassure his kinswoman, sending envoys who spoke with gentle, pleasing words, conveying the message, “That is not so.” In ethical terms, the verse highlights a strategy of pacification through courteous speech and intermediaries—attempting to prevent rupture within family ties by denying or dispelling a feared suspicion.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical use of gentle, truthful-seeming speech and diplomatic intermediaries to preserve family bonds and avert conflict—conciliation (sāman) through courteous communication.
A male figure (referred to as “he”) urgently tries to reassure a female relative, employing envoys who speak sweetly and deliver the denial “it is not so,” aiming to remove her suspicion and calm the situation.