Shloka 89

Devanagari script

लीन: स तस्य गात्रेषु पलितो देशकालवित्‌ । चिच्छेद पाशान्‌ नृपते कालापेक्षी शनै: शनै:,नरेश्वर! चूहा देश-कालकी गतिको अच्छी तरह जानता था; इसलिये वह बिलावके अंगोंमें ही छिपा रहकर चाण्डालके आनेके समयकी प्रतीक्षा करता हुआ धीरे-धीरे जालको काटने लगा

Transliteration

līnaḥ sa tasya gātreṣu palito deśa-kāla-vit | ciccheda pāśān nṛpate kālāpekṣī śanaiḥ śanaiḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma bersabda: Si tikus kelabu, yang mahir menimbang tempat dan waktu, bersembunyi rapat pada tubuh kucing itu, menanti saat yang tepat; sambil mengawasi bahaya yang mendekat, ia mengerat tali jerat itu perlahan-lahan namun tetap, wahai raja.

Word by Word

लीनःhidden, lying concealed

सःhe

तस्यof him/its

गात्रेषुin the limbs/body

पलितःthe mouse (Palita, proper name)

देशकालवित्knower of place and time

चिच्छेदcut (he cut)

पाशान्nooses/bonds (snare-ropes)

नृपतेO king

कालापेक्षीwaiting for the right time

शनैःslowly

शनैःvery slowly / little by little

नरेश्वरO lord of men (O king)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

nṛpati (the king, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira as addressee)

palitaḥ (the grey mouse)

cat (implied by 'tasya gātreṣu')

pāśa (snare/noose)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Act with deśa-kāla-jñāna—awareness of place and time. The wise do not rush; they wait for the proper moment and then act steadily to remove bondage or danger.

What is happening in the narrative?

A grey mouse, concealed against the cat’s body, waits watchfully and then gradually cuts/gnaws through the snares (pāśa), freeing itself (and potentially others) by careful timing rather than sudden movement.