Shloka 37
Bhīṣma–Śiśupāla-saṃvādaḥ
Bhishma and Shishupala’s exchange in the assembly
ततः प्रत्यक्षतो दृष्टवा पक्षिणस्ते समीपगा: । निजलघ्नुस्तं तदा हंसं मिथ्यावृत्तं कुरूद्वह
tataḥ pratyakṣato dṛṣṭvā pakṣiṇas te samīpagāḥ | nijalaghnus taṃ tadā haṃsaṃ mithyāvṛttaṃ kurūdvaha ||
Rồi những loài chim ấy tiến lại gần, tự mắt thấy rõ sự việc; và chúng đã đánh chết con thiên nga kia, kẻ giả vờ khoác áo dharma—hỡi bậc ưu tú nhất trong dòng Kuru.
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.