Shloka 30
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
लुब्धक उवाच अस्मादेकाद् बहवो रक्षितव्या नैको बहुभ्यो गौतमि रक्षितव्य: । कृतागसं धर्मविदस्त्यजन्ति सरीसूृपं पापमिमं जहि त्वम्
lubdhaka uvāca | asmād ekād bahavo rakṣitavyā naiko bahubhyo gautami rakṣitavyaḥ | kṛtāgasaṃ dharmavidas tyajanti sarīsṛpaṃ pāpam imaṃ jahi tvam ||
قال الصيّاد: «يا غوتَمي، ينبغي أن تُصان أرواحٌ كثيرة ولو كان الثمنُ هذه الواحدة. لا يَحسُن إنقاذُ مخلوقٍ واحدٍ إذا كان يُعرِّض الكثيرين للهلاك. إن العارفين بالدارما يَنبذون من اقترف الإثم؛ فاضربي هذه الحيّة الزاحفة الآثمة واقتليها».
लुब्धक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse argues for prioritizing the safety of many over sparing a single dangerous wrongdoer, presenting a dharma-based justification for abandoning (or punishing) one who has committed harm when public welfare is at stake.
A hunter addresses Gautamī and urges her to kill a sinful serpent, reasoning that letting it live risks many human lives; he frames this as the stance of those who know dharma.