Shloka 426
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
अग्निदेवने उसकी भी जिह्ला उलट दी। अब अग्निदेवको प्रत्यक्ष देखकर देवताओंने दयायुक्त होकर शुकसे कहा--“तू शुकयोनिमें रहकर अत्यन्त वाणीरहित नहीं होगा--कुछ- कुछ बोल सकेगा। जीभ उलट जानेपर भी तेरी बोली बड़ी मधुर एवं कमनीय होगी ।।
agnidevena tasya jihvā ulṭā kṛtā | atha agnidevaṃ pratyakṣaṃ dṛṣṭvā devā dayāyuktāḥ śukam ūcuḥ— “tvaṃ śukayonau sthitvā atyantaṃ vāṇīrahito na bhaviṣyasi—kiñcit-kiñcid vaktuṃ śakṣyasi | jihvāyā ulṭāyāṃ satyām api tava vāk atīva madhurā ca kamanīyā ca bhaviṣyati || bālasyeva pravṛddhasya kalamavyaktam adbhutam | yathā pravṛddhasya puruṣasya bālabhāṣāyāṃ na vyaktā adbhutā toṭalī vāk madhurā pratibhāti, tathā tava vāk api sarveṣāṃ priyā bhaviṣyati ||”
Bhishma said: Agni caused Shuka’s tongue to turn back. Then, seeing Agni manifest before them, the gods—moved by compassion—said to Shuka: “Even while you remain in the womb of a parrot, you will not be utterly bereft of speech; you will be able to speak a little. Though your tongue has been turned, your voice will be exceedingly sweet and charming. Just as the wondrous, indistinct lisping of a child can sound delightful even to an aged man, so too will your speech be pleasing to all.” Thus is punishment tempered by mercy: a limit is imposed, yet a compensating grace is bestowed.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when a corrective consequence is imposed, dharma is fulfilled more fully when it is balanced with compassion; limitation can be accompanied by a compensating grace that preserves dignity and benefit to others.
Agni reverses Shuka’s tongue, restricting his speech; the gods, seeing Agni directly, pity Shuka and grant that although he will be in a parrot-birth, his speech will still be possible and will sound sweet and pleasing—like a child’s charming lisp.