Shloka 14
Śakuni–Duryodhana-saṃvāda: Dyūta-yojanā (Śakuni and Duryodhana on Planning the Dice-Game)
द्रोणस्य हि सम॑ युद्धे न पश्यामि नराधिपम् । नाश्वृत्थाम्न: समं भीष्म न च तौ स्तोतुमिच्छसि,भीष्म! मुझे तो कोई भी ऐसा राजा नहीं दिखायी देता, जो युद्धमें द्रोण अथवा अश्वत्थामाकी बराबरी कर सके। तो भी तुम इन दोनोंकी स्तुति करना नहीं चाहते
droṇasya hi samaṁ yuddhe na paśyāmi narādhipam | nāśvatthāmnaḥ samaṁ bhīṣma na ca tau stotum icchasi ||
โอ้ภีษมะ! ในสงคราม ข้าไม่เห็นกษัตริย์ผู้ใดเสมอด้วยโทรณะ และไม่เห็นผู้ใดเสมอด้วยอัศวัตถามัน; แต่ถึงกระนั้นท่านก็ไม่ปรารถนาจะสรรเสริญทั้งสอง
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how public praise and reputation in a royal assembly are contested through rhetoric: Śiśupāla appeals to widely acknowledged martial excellence (Droṇa and Aśvatthāman) to challenge Bhīṣma’s stance, implying that withholding praise can be a deliberate ethical-political choice rather than ignorance.
In the Sabha assembly context, Śiśupāla addresses Bhīṣma and argues that no king matches Droṇa or Aśvatthāman in warfare; he then questions why Bhīṣma is unwilling to eulogize them, using their fame as a lever in the ongoing debate and rivalry of honor.