Shloka 29
Bhīṣma–Śiśupāla-saṃvādaḥ
Bhishma and Shishupala’s exchange in the assembly
सो<नपत्यश्व वृद्धश्न॒ मिथ्याधर्मानुसारक: । हंसवत् त्वमपीदानी ज्ञातिभ्य: प्राप्तुया वधम्
so 'napatyāś ca vṛddhaś ca mithyādharmānusārakaḥ | haṃsavat tvam apīdānīṃ jñātibhyaḥ prāptavā vadhām ||
Śiśupāla nói: “Ngươi không con nối dõi, tuổi đã cao, lại theo một thứ dharma giả trá. Vì thế, ngay lúc này—như con haṃsa—ngươi cũng đã bị định phải chết dưới tay chính họ hàng của mình.”
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how accusations of “false dharma” function as moral condemnation in epic rhetoric: a person portrayed as deviating from true dharma is said to become vulnerable to downfall, even at the hands of one’s own kin—highlighting the epic’s concern with authentic versus pretended righteousness.
In the royal assembly context of the Sabha Parva, Śiśupāla delivers a harsh taunt, branding his target as childless, old, and a follower of spurious dharma, and predicts that he will be killed by his own relatives—an escalation of verbal hostility within the courtly confrontation.