Adhyaya 15 — Karmic Retribution: Rebirths After Naraka and the King’s Compassion in Hell
राजोवाच यदि जानासि धर्म त्वं त्वं वा शक्र शचीपते ।
मम यावत् प्रमाणन्तु शुभं तद् वक्तुमर्हथः ॥
rājovāca yadi jānāsi dharma tvaṃ tvaṃ vā śakra śacīpate |
mama yāvat pramāṇaṃ tu śubhaṃ tad vaktum arhathaḥ ||
قال الملك: «إن كنتَ تعلم، يا دارما—أو أنتَ يا شَكرا، ربَّ شَتشي—فأخبرني، من فضلك، بمقدار استحقاقي المبارك.»
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Inquiry into ‘how much merit’ reveals a didactic pivot: merit is not merely countable currency; its true magnitude may exceed ordinary reckoning, especially when infused with compassion.
Ethical-dialogue segment (dharma-śāstra flavor) within narrative; not directly one of the five, but supportive instruction.
The desire to quantify goodness mirrors the mind’s need to grasp; the forthcoming answer (incomparability) points toward a supra-measure state where virtue becomes immeasurable when aligned with universal welfare.