Shloka 11
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving
Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum
कीड़ेने कहा--महामते! यह जो बहुत बड़ी बैलगाड़ी आ रही है, इसीकी घर्घराहट सुनकर मुझे भय हो गया है; क्योंकि उसकी यह आवाज बड़ी भयंकर है ।।
kīṭa uvāca—mahāmate! iyaṃ yā mahāśakaṭī samāyāti, tasyā ghoṣaṃ śrutvā me bhayaṃ jātaṃ; bhīṣaṇo hy eṣā ninādaḥ. śrūyate na ca māṃ hanyād iti hāsmād apakrame. śvasatāṃ ca śṛṇomy enaṃ goputrāṇāṃ pratodyatām.
The insect said: “O wise one! A huge ox-cart is coming this way. Hearing its rumbling, I have been seized by fear, for the sound is terrifying. As it draws near, I cannot help but wonder, ‘May it not strike and kill me!’—and so I am hurrying to get out of its path. I can hear the oxen panting under the heavy load, driven on by the goad; their noise is very close, and the voices of the men riding on the cart also reach my ears.”
कीट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the smallest beings experience fear and seek safety; the passage invites ethical sensitivity toward vulnerable life and highlights how ordinary human activity can unintentionally threaten others, urging mindful, non-harmful conduct.
An insect hears the terrifying rumble of an approaching ox-cart, worries it may be crushed, and quickly moves away while describing the panting oxen being driven by a goad and the voices of the men riding on the cart.