Shloka 37

Bhīṣma–Śiśupāla-saṃvādaḥ

Bhishma and Shishupala’s exchange in the assembly

Devanagari script

ततः प्रत्यक्षतो दृष्टवा पक्षिणस्ते समीपगा: । निजलघ्नुस्तं तदा हंसं मिथ्यावृत्तं कुरूद्वह,कुरुवंशी भीष्म! तब उन पक्षियोंने निकट जाकर सब कुछ प्रत्यक्ष देख लिया और धर्मात्माका मिथ्या ढोंग बनाये हुए उस हंसको मार डाला

Transliteration

tataḥ pratyakṣato dṛṣṭvā pakṣiṇas te samīpagāḥ | nijalaghnus taṃ tadā haṃsaṃ mithyāvṛttaṃ kurūdvaha ||

Translation

అప్పుడు ఆ పక్షులు దగ్గరకు వచ్చి విషయాన్ని ప్రత్యక్షంగా చూసి, ధర్మాన్ని నటిస్తూ మిథ్యాచారంలో ఉన్న ఆ హంసను సంహరించాయి—ఓ కురుశ్రేష్ఠా।

Word by Word

ततःthen/from there

प्रत्यक्षतःdirectly, before (their) eyes

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

पक्षिणःbirds

तेthose

समीपगाःhaving come near/nearby

निजघ्नुःthey slew/killed

तम्that (one)

तदाthen

हंसम्the swan

मिथ्यावृत्तम्of false conduct/pretending righteousness

कुरूद्वहO best of the Kurus

Speaker

शिशुपाल उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śiśupāla

Bhīṣma

Kuru (lineage)

haṃsa (swan)

pakṣiṇaḥ (birds)

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?

Dharma is not a costume: when false righteousness (mithyā-vṛtti) is exposed by direct evidence (pratyakṣa), it loses moral authority and becomes liable to punishment; ethical life demands authenticity, not performative virtue.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śiśupāla cites an illustrative incident: birds approach, witness the truth firsthand, and then kill a swan who had been maintaining a deceptive façade of righteous conduct—addressing Bhīṣma as ‘best of the Kurus’ to sharpen the moral rebuke.