Shloka 50
कपिलगोसंवादे गृहस्थ-त्यागधर्मयोः प्रमाण्यविचारः
Kapila–Cow Dialogue: Authority of Householder and Renunciant Dharmas
विप्रवर! जब आप तपस्यासे सिद्ध हो गये, तब पक्षियोंने शीघ्र ही आपके सिरपर अण्डे दिये और उनसे बच्चे पैदा हुए, आपने उन सबकी भलीभाँति रक्षा की ।।
vipravara! yadā tvaṁ tapasyā siddho 'bhūḥ, tadā pakṣiṇaḥ kṣipram eva tava śirasi aṇḍāni nyadadhuḥ, tataḥ śāvā ajāyanta; tān sarvān tvaṁ yathāvat parirakṣitavān. jāta-pakṣā yadā te ca gatāś cārīm itaś tataḥ, manyamānas tato dharmaṁ caṭaka-prabhavaṁ dvija.
O Bester der Brahmanen! Als du durch Askese Vollendung erlangt hattest, legten Vögel rasch Eier auf deinem Haupt, und daraus schlüpften Küken. Du beschütztest sie alle mit gebührender Sorgfalt. Als ihnen die Flügel wuchsen und sie hierhin und dorthin flogen, um Nahrung zu suchen, da hieltest du, o Zweimalgeborener, das Verdienst aus der Aufzucht jener Spatzenjungen für eine sehr große Form des Dharma.
तुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
Tulādhāra highlights that dharma is not only austerity or spiritual attainment; it is also expressed through concrete responsibility and compassionate care. The merit gained from protecting vulnerable beings (here, fledglings) is real, yet one should not become self-congratulatory or inflate that merit into pride.
Tulādhāra addresses a Brahmin ascetic who, after succeeding in austerities, had birds lay eggs on his head. He protected the chicks until they grew wings and began to forage on their own. The ascetic then started to regard this act of nurturing as a very great dharma, setting the stage for Tulādhāra’s ethical instruction about the nature of true righteousness.