Shloka 12
Adhyāya 122 — Śruta-vṛtta-yukta Brāhmaṇa and the Ethics of Dāna
Maitreya–Vyāsa Saṃvāda
कीट उवाच इदं तदतुलं स्थानमीप्सितं दशभिर्गुणै: । यदहं प्राप्य कीटत्वमागतो राजपुत्रताम्
kīṭa uvāca idaṃ tad atulaṃ sthānam īpsitaṃ daśabhir guṇaiḥ | yad ahaṃ prāpya kīṭatvam āgato rājaputratām ||
কীটে (ক্ষত্ৰিয়) ক’লে—ভগৱন্! আজি মই সেই অতুল স্থান লাভ কৰিলোঁ, যি মই দহ জন্মতো পাবলৈ আকাঙ্ক্ষা কৰিছিলোঁ। মোৰ নিজৰ দোষে কীট-যোনিত পতিত হৈও, আপোনাৰ কৃপাৰে আজি মই ৰাজপুত্ৰ হ’লোঁ।
कीट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the interplay of personal fault (leading to a low state) and divine or saintly grace (enabling uplift). It teaches humility, gratitude, and the possibility of moral and existential transformation beyond one’s present condition.
A being identified as ‘Kīṭa’ speaks in wonder and gratitude, declaring that he has attained an incomparable status—becoming a prince—despite previously being reduced to wormhood due to his own wrongdoing, attributing his elevation to the benefactor’s grace.