Shloka 1
Adhyāya 122 — Śruta-vṛtta-yukta Brāhmaṇa and the Ethics of Dāna
Maitreya–Vyāsa Saṃvāda
ऑपन-आ प्रात बछ। आर: अ2 अष्टादशाधिकशततमोब<् ध्याय: कीडेका क्रमश: क्षत्रिययोनिमें जन्म लेकर व्यासजीका दर्शन करना और व्यासजीका उसे ब्राह्मण होने तथा स्वर्गसुख और अक्षय सुखकी प्राप्ति होनेका वरदान देना व्यास उवाच शुभेन कर्मणा यद्दै तिर्यग्योनौ न मुहा[से । ममैव कीट तत् कर्म येन त्वं न प्रमुहासे
vyāsa uvāca | śubhena karmaṇā yaddai tiryagyōnau na muhyase | mamaiva kīṭa tat karma yena tvaṃ na pramuhyase ||
Vyāsa said: “O worm! The auspicious deed by whose power you are not deluded, even though born in an animal womb, is in fact my own deed. It is through the influence of seeing me that you are not falling into delusion.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a low or non-human birth, clarity and freedom from delusion can arise due to accumulated merit (śubha-karma) and the transformative power of contact with a realized sage (darśana). The verse emphasizes karma’s continuity and the role of spiritual influence in dispelling moha.
Vyāsa addresses a being born as a worm/insect and explains why it remains undeluded despite its animal embodiment: the cause is an auspicious karma connected with Vyāsa himself, and specifically the purifying effect of having Vyāsa’s vision.