Shloka 32
Bhīṣma–Śiśupāla-saṃvādaḥ
Bhishma and Shishupala’s exchange in the assembly
धर्म चरत माधर्ममिति तस्य वच: किल । पक्षिण: शुश्रुवुर्भीष्म सततं सत्यवादिन:
dharmaṁ carata mādharmam iti tasya vacaḥ kila | pakṣiṇaḥ śuśruvur bhīṣma satataṁ satyavādinaḥ ||
“Amalkan dharma; jangan amalkan adharma”—demikianlah kata-katanya, menurut cerita. Wahai Bhīṣma, burung-burung itu berulang kali mendengar nasihat itu daripadanya, yang sentiasa mengaku berkata benar. Namun inti kisahnya ialah: perbuatannya bercanggah dengan ajarannya—dia menyuruh orang lain berlaku benar, sedangkan dirinya hidup sebaliknya.
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between preaching and practice: exhortations to dharma are hollow if one’s own conduct contradicts them. It implicitly critiques moral hypocrisy—being a ‘truth-speaker’ in words is not the same as being righteous in action.
Śiśupāla addresses Bhīṣma and introduces a proverbial account: a figure repeatedly tells others (here, birds) to follow dharma and avoid adharma. The surrounding story context (as commonly explained in the tradition) underscores that the speaker’s behavior does not match his advice, setting up a moral comparison or rebuke.