Shloka 23
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving
Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum
गुप्त शरणमाश्रित्य भयेषु शरणागता: । अकस्मात् ते मया त्यक्ता न त्राता अभयैषिण:
gupta-śaraṇam āśritya bhayeṣu śaraṇāgatāḥ | akasmāt te mayā tyaktā na trātā abhayaiṣiṇaḥ ||
«في أزمنة الخطر كان كثيرون، ممن يتوقون إلى السلامة، يأتون إليّ يلتمسون الحماية، ويلجؤون إلى ملجأٍ خفيّ. لكني كنتُ أفاجئهم بالتخلي عنهم؛ فلم أُنقذ من كانوا يطلبون الأمان من الخوف.»
कीट उवाच
Educational Q&A
One who accepts others as śaraṇāgata (refuge-seekers) incurs a dharmic duty to protect them; abandoning them after offering shelter is a grave ethical failure and a betrayal of trust.
The speaker (the kīṭa) confesses a past wrongdoing: people seeking safety in fearful times came to him for refuge, but he suddenly cast them out and did not act as their protector.