Shloka 8
Śakuni–Duryodhana-saṃvāda: Dyūta-yojanā (Śakuni and Duryodhana on Planning the Dice-Game)
दरदं स्तुहि बाह्लीकमिमं पार्थिवसत्तमम् | जायमानेन येनेयमभवद् दारिता मही
Daradaṁ stuhi Bāhlīkam imaṁ pārthiva-sattamam | jāyamānena yeneyam abhavad dāritā mahī ||
Śiśupāla nói: “Hãy ca tụng Darada, và hãy ca tụng Bāhlīka này—bậc tối thượng trong hàng chư vương. Hãy hát về đức hạnh của ông ta—kẻ mà người ta đồn rằng vừa mới sinh ra, chỉ bởi sức nặng thân mình đã làm mặt đất này nứt toác.”
शिशुपाल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how speech can be ethically ambiguous: praise (stuti) may be offered sincerely to honor virtue, or weaponized as sarcasm to belittle others. In the Sabha’s charged political setting, Śiśupāla’s exaggerated commendation functions as an attack, highlighting the moral risk of flattery and the power of rhetoric to inflame conflict.
During the royal assembly, Śiśupāla speaks provocatively. He calls for praising Darada and Bāhlīka and attributes to Bāhlīka a hyperbolic feat—splitting the earth at birth—using overstatement to mock the atmosphere of public adulation and to challenge the honor being distributed in the सभा.