Shloka 37

Śakuni–Duryodhana-saṃvāda: Dyūta-yojanā (Śakuni and Duryodhana on Planning the Dice-Game)

Devanagari script

हन्यतां दुर्मतिर्भीष्म: पशुवत्‌ साध्वयं नृपा: । सर्वे: समेत्य संरब्धैर्दहुतां वा कटाग्निना,“राजाओ! क्रोधमें भरे हुए हम सब लोग मिलकर इस खोटी बुद्धिवाले भीष्मको पशुकी भाँति गला दबाकर मार डालें अथवा घास-फूसकी आगमें इसे जीते-जी जला दें”

Transliteration

han yatāṁ durmatir bhīṣmaḥ paśuvat sādhv ayaṁ nṛpāḥ | sarvaiḥ sametya saṁrabdhair dahutāṁ vā kaṭāgninā ||

Translation

“ข้าแต่กษัตริย์ทั้งหลาย! พวกเราผู้เดือดดาลจงรวมกันฆ่าภีษมะผู้มีปัญญาวิปลาสนี้เสีย—บีบคอประหนึ่งสัตว์เดรัจฉาน; หรือไม่ก็เผามันทั้งเป็นด้วยไฟจากหญ้าแห้ง”

Word by Word

हन्यताम्let (him) be killed

दुर्मतिःthe evil-minded one

भीष्मःBhishma

पशु-वत्like an animal

साध्वयम्well then / come now (exhortation)

नृपाःO kings

सर्वेall (of us)

समेत्यhaving assembled

संरब्धैःby/with (those) enraged

दहुताम्or let (him) be burnt

वाor

कट-अग्निनाwith a straw-fire / fire of dry grass

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Bhīṣma

kings (nṛpāḥ)

fire of dry grass (kaṭāgni)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how uncontrolled anger can eclipse dharma: collective fury seeks extreme, dehumanizing punishment (“like an animal,” “burn alive”), showing the ethical danger of rash, group-driven decisions against even respected figures.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports a heated outburst addressed to assembled kings, proposing that Bhīṣma—judged “ill-minded” in that moment—be killed either by strangling or by burning in a straw-fire, indicating an atmosphere of intense political and moral agitation.