Shloka 2
Śakuni–Duryodhana-saṃvāda: Dyūta-yojanā (Śakuni and Duryodhana on Planning the Dice-Game)
को हि मां भीमसेनाद्य क्षितावहति पार्थिव: | क्षेप्तुं कालपरीतात्मा यथैष कुलपांसन:
ko hi māṁ bhīmasenādya kṣitāvahati pārthivaḥ | kṣeptuṁ kālaparītātmā yathaiṣa kulapāṁsanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Hỡi Bhīmasena, trong các bậc quân vương trên cõi đất này, hôm nay ai dám buông lời sỉ nhục ta? Chỉ kẻ có tâm trí bị Thời (định mệnh) chiếm đoạt mới ném ra sự xúc phạm như thế—như Śiśupāla, nỗi nhục của dòng tộc hắn, đang làm.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical restraint in speech and the gravity of reviling elders or the virtuous; it also frames reckless insult as a symptom of being overpowered by Kāla (fate), implying moral blindness that precedes downfall.
In the royal assembly context, Śiśupāla is hurling accusations/insults. Bhīṣma addresses Bhīma, expressing that no rightful king would dare insult him unless driven by fate—thereby condemning Śiśupāla as a ‘disgrace to his lineage.’