Shloka 31
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
नकुलं हरिणं नाम चपलं॑ ताम्रलोचनम् | तेन मूषिकगन्धेन त्वरमाणमुपागतम्
nakulaṃ hariṇaṃ nāma capalaṃ tāmralocanam | tena mūṣikagandhena tvaramāṇam upāgatam ||
قال بهيشما: «وجاء نَكُولا (النمس) رشيقٌ سريع، عيناه بلون النحاس، يُعرف باسم هَرِيṇa؛ شمَّ رائحةَ الفأر فأسرع مسرعاً إلى ذلك الموضع.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up an ethical illustration common in the Śānti Parva: beings are drawn into action by sensory impulses (here, scent), and such impulsive movement becomes the starting point for consequences. It prepares the listener to reflect on restraint, discernment, and the moral outcomes of hurried pursuit.
Bhishma describes a quick, copper-eyed mongoose named Hariṇa. Smelling a mouse, it rushes toward the source of the scent, arriving in haste—an opening scene that leads into the next events of the exemplum.