Shloka 47
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
लुब्धक उवाच वध्यस्त्वं मम दुर्बुद्धे बालघाती नृशंसकृत् । भाषसे किं बहु पुनर्वध्य: सन् पन्नगाधम
lubdhaka uvāca | vadhyas tvaṃ mama durbuddhe bālaghātī nṛśaṃsakṛt | bhāṣase kiṃ bahu punar vadhyaḥ san pannagādhama ||
The hunter said: “You are fit to be slain by me, you wicked fool— a killer of the young and a doer of cruel deeds. Why do you speak so much again and again? Though you stand condemned to death, you base serpent, you keep arguing as if to prove yourself blameless.”
लुब्धक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moral condemnation is framed through labels like “child-killer” and “cruel-doer,” and it raises an ethical tension: the hunter treats the serpent as already guilty and unworthy of defense, showing how anger and certainty can shut down inquiry into dharma.
In a heated exchange, the hunter addresses a serpent, declaring it deserving of death for cruel acts (especially killing the young) and rebuking it for speaking at length as though trying to justify itself despite being marked for execution.