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 ||
उंदराने असे म्हटल्यावर, वाणी-वाक्याचा मर्म जाणणारा, प्राणरक्षणास उत्सुक, महाबुद्धिमान मांजर—आपल्या हिताची गोष्ट मांडीत—बोलू लागला.
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.