Shloka 5
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
चारुशीर्षस्तत: प्राह शक्रस्य दयित: सखा | आलनम्बायन इत्येवं विश्रुतटः करुणात्मक:,तदनन्तर इन्द्रके प्रिय सखा आलम्बगोत्रीय चारुशीर्षने जो आलम्बायन नामसे ही प्रसिद्ध तथा परम दयालु हैं, इस प्रकार कहा--
cāruśīrṣas tataḥ prāha śakrasya dayitaḥ sakhā | ālanambāyana ity evaṁ viśrutaḥ karuṇātmakaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then Cāruśīrṣa spoke—Indra’s beloved friend, renowned by the name Ālanambāyana, a man whose very nature was compassion. Thus he addressed the matter, setting a tone of kindness and moral concern within the unfolding discourse.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds compassion (karuṇā) as a defining virtue: the speaker introduced is explicitly characterized as compassionate, implying that ethical counsel and right conduct are best conveyed through kindness and concern for others.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana transitions to a new speaker: Cāruśīrṣa, identified as Indra’s dear friend and famed as Ālanambāyana, who is described as compassionate. The verse functions as an introduction before his speech.