Shloka 8
Jaradkāru Encounters the Pitṛs
Jaratkāru-Pitṛdarśana
स च मौनव्रतोपेतो नैव तं॑ प्रत्यभाषत । तस्य राजा धनुष्कोट्या सर्प स्कन्धे समासजत्,राजा भूख-प्यास और थकावटसे व्याकुल थे। इधर तुम्हारे पिता काठकी भाँति अविचल भावसे बैठे थे। राजाने बार-बार तुम्हारे पितासे उस भागे हुए मृगके विषयमें प्रश्न किया, परंतु मौन-व्रतावलम्बी होनेके कारण उन्होंने कुछ उत्तर नहीं दिया। तब राजाने धनुषकी नोकसे एक मरा हुआ साँप उठाकर उनके कंधेपर डाल दिया
sa ca maunavratopeto naiva taṁ pratyabhāṣata | tasya rājā dhanuṣkoṭyā sarpaṁ skandhe samāsajat ||
And he, observing a vow of silence, did not reply to him at all. Then the king, with the tip of his bow, lifted a dead snake and placed it upon the sage’s shoulder. The episode highlights how a ruler’s fatigue and frustration can cloud judgment, and how a rigid observance of a vow—when it withholds timely guidance—may provoke harm and set in motion grave consequences.
कृश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse cautions that anger and exhaustion can lead a ruler to humiliating, unethical acts, and it also raises a dharmic question about vows: silence that withholds needed guidance may invite misunderstanding and harm.
A sage observing silence does not answer the king’s repeated questions; in irritation, the king uses the tip of his bow to lift a dead snake and drape it over the sage’s shoulder, an insult that triggers later repercussions in the story.