Shloka 21

Devanagari script

बिल आखोर्विनाश: स्यादग्नेराकाशचारिणाम्‌ । अन्ववेक्ष्यैतदुभयं श्रेयान्‌ दाहो न भक्षणम्‌,बिलमें चूहेसे हमारा विनाश हो जायगा और आकाशमें उड़नेपर अग्निसे। इन दोनों परिणामोंपर विचार करनेसे हमें आगसे जल जाना ही श्रेष्ठ जान पड़ता है, चूहेका भोजन बनना नहीं

Transliteration

bilākhorvināśaḥ syād agner ākāśacāriṇām | anvavekṣyaitad ubhayaṃ śreyān dāho na bhakṣaṇam ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Bleiben wir im Bau, werden wir von der Maus vernichtet; steigen wir in den Himmel auf, werden wir vom Feuer vernichtet. Wenn man beides bedenkt, ist es besser, vom Feuer verbrannt zu werden, als der Maus zur Speise zu werden.“

Word by Word

बिलात्from the hole

आखोःof the rat

विनाशःdestruction

स्यात्would be / may be

अग्नेःfrom fire

आकाशचारिणाम्of those moving in the sky (birds)

अन्ववेक्ष्यhaving considered / after examining

एतत्this

उभयम्both

श्रेयान्better / preferable

दाहःburning

नnot

भक्षणम्being eaten / eating (as food)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

mouse/rat (ākhu)

fire (agni)

burrow (bila)

sky/air (ākāśa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

When faced with two unavoidable dangers, one should reflect and choose the outcome that is more dignified or less degrading—here, death by fire is judged preferable to being reduced to prey and food.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker frames a dilemma for sky-moving creatures: staying in a burrow leads to destruction by a mouse, while flying exposes them to fire. After weighing both, they decide that being burned is the better option than being eaten.