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Shloka 76

Śiśupāla-janma-lakṣaṇaṃ (Śiśupāla’s birth marks and the prophecy of his end)

Devanagari script

वृष्णिसिंहस्य सुप्तस्य तथामी प्रमुखे स्थिता: । 'जैसे सिंहके सो जानेपर बहुत-से कुत्ते उसके निकट आकर एक साथ भूकने लगते हैं, उसी प्रकार ये सामने खड़े हुए राजा भी तभीतक भूक रहे हैं, जबतक वृष्णिवंशका सिंह सो रहा है

Transliteration

vṛṣṇisiṁhasya suptasya tathāmī pramukhe sthitāḥ |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Selagi singa kaum Vṛṣṇi itu seolah-olah tidur, raja-raja yang berdiri di hadapan ini hanya berani bising setakat itu—seperti sekumpulan anjing menghampiri singa yang sedang tidur lalu menyalak serentak. Keberanian mereka hanya bertahan hingga singa itu terjaga.”

Word by Word

वृष्णिसिंहस्यof the Vrishni-lion (lion among the Vrishnis)

सुप्तस्यof (him) sleeping

तथाthus, in the same way

अमीthese (those here)

प्रमुखेin front, at the forefront

स्थिताःstanding, stationed

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Vṛṣṇis (Vṛṣṇi clan)

Vṛṣṇisiṁha (lion among the Vṛṣṇis; implied Kṛṣṇa)

kings (rājānaḥ; implied by context)

lion (siṁha)

dogs (implied by the simile in the given passage)

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 highlights how the weak become loud only when the truly powerful restrain themselves. It critiques opportunistic bravado and implies an ethical warning: intimidation and mockery thrive in the absence (or self-restraint) of genuine strength, but collapse when rightful power asserts itself.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the royal assembly context, certain kings are behaving aggressively and speaking boldly. The narrator compares them to dogs barking near a sleeping lion, suggesting their confidence depends on the ‘lion among the Vṛṣṇis’ remaining inactive; once he acts, their posturing will end.