Shloka 7
Śiśupāla-janma-lakṣaṇaṃ (Śiśupāla’s birth marks and the prophecy of his end)
प्रसुप्ते हि यथा सिंहे श्वानस्तस्मिन् समागता: । भषेयु: सहिता: सर्वे तथेमे वसुधाधिपा:
prasupte hi yathā siṁhe śvānastasmin samāgatāḥ | bhaṣeyuḥ sahitāḥ sarve tatheme vasudhādhipāḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Gaya ng kapag natutulog ang leon, nagtitipon ang mga aso sa paligid nito at, magkakasama, ay tahol nang tahol—gayon din ang mga haring ito, mga panginoon ng lupa: nagkatipon at nagkalakas-loob na mag-ingay sa harap ng isang pansamantalang hindi kumikilos.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse critiques opportunistic bravado: the weak become noisy and aggressive only when the truly powerful are inactive or restrained. Ethically, it warns rulers against joining unjust majorities and mistaking temporary advantage for real strength.
Vaiśampāyana uses a vivid simile—dogs barking at a sleeping lion—to describe how assembled kings, emboldened by numbers, act insolently when a formidable figure is momentarily unable or unwilling to respond.