Shloka 71

Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances

Devanagari script

तस्मादप्यरिसंघाताद गोमायो: कश्षिदागत:ः । धर्मात्मा तेन चाख्यातं यथैतत्‌ कपटं कृतम्‌,तदनन्तर उन्हीं शत्रुओंके समूहमेंसे किसी धर्मात्मा सियारने (जो शेरका गुप्तचर बना था,) आकर गीदड़के साथ जो यह छल-कपट किया गया था, वह सब सिंहको कह सुनाया

Transliteration

tasmād apy arisaṅghātād gomāyuḥ kaścid āgataḥ | dharmātmā tena cākhyātaṃ yathैतत kapaṭaṃ kṛtam ||

Translation

Bhishma disse: “Por isso, daquele mesmo bando de inimigos, adiantou-se um chacal, de índole justa (espião secreto do leão), e relatou ao leão, com exatidão, como haviam sido executados o engano e a artimanha.”

Word by Word

तस्मात्from that; therefore

अपिalso; even

अरि-संघातात्from the mass/group of enemies

गोमायोःof the jackal

कश्चित्someone; a certain (one)

आगतःhaving come; arrived

धर्मात्माa righteous-souled one

तेनby him; with him

चand

आख्यातम्told; reported

यथाhow; as

एतत्this

कपटम्deceit; trick

कृतम्done; committed

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

gomāyu (jackal)

ari-saṅghāta (enemy host)

siṃha (lion)

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?

Even amid hostility and intrigue, dharma can manifest as truthful disclosure: exposing deceit restores moral clarity and enables just action, especially for a ruler who must judge motives and stratagems.

What is happening in the narrative?

A jackal from the enemy camp comes and informs the lion about the deceptive plot that had been executed—revealing the details of the trick and thereby warning the lion of the enemies’ machinations.