Shloka 31
Bhīṣma–Śiśupāla-saṃvādaḥ
Bhishma and Shishupala’s exchange in the assembly
वृद्ध: किल समुद्रान्ते कश्चिद्धंसो5भवत् पुरा । धर्मवागन्यथावृत्त: पक्षिण: सोडनुशास्ति च
vṛddhaḥ kila samudrānte kaścid haṃso 'bhavat purā | dharmavāg anyathāvṛttaḥ pakṣiṇaḥ so 'nuśāsti ca ||
Śiśupāla berkata: “Pada zaman dahulu, di pesisir laut, hiduplah seekor angsa tua. Ia mengucapkan kata-kata luhur tentang dharma, namun tingkah lakunya sendiri bertentangan dengannya. Namun begitu, ia tetap menasihati burung-burung lain: ‘Amalkan dharma; jauhilah adharma.’ Maka burung-burung itu berulang kali mendengar petuah moral dari mulut angsa yang kononnya sentiasa berkata benar itu.”
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical problem of preaching dharma while living contrary to it—warning that moral authority is undermined when conduct does not match counsel.
Śiśupāla introduces an illustrative tale: an old swan living by the sea continually advises other birds to follow dharma and avoid adharma, even though his own behavior contradicts his righteous speech.