Shloka 5
Vetasa-Nīti: The Reed and the Flood (वेतस-नीति)
अकायश्चाल्पसारश्न वेतस: कूलजश्व व: । अवज्ञया वा नानीतः कि च वा तेन व: कृतम्
akāyaś cālpasāraś ca vetasaḥ kūlajaś ca vaḥ | avajñayā vā nānītaḥ kiṃ ca vā tena vaḥ kṛtam ||
Sāgara said: “That reed is bodiless, of little substance, and it grows on your very bank. Yet you have not brought it here—why? Was it out of contempt that you never carried it, or has it done you some service (so that you spared it)?”
सागर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not dismiss something merely because it seems weak or insignificant; examine the real reason behind one’s restraint—whether it is negligence/contempt (avajñā) or recognition of a past benefit (kṛta-upakāra). Ethical judgment should be grounded in causes and obligations, not appearances.
The Ocean (Sāgara) questions the addressed waters/streams about a reed that grows on their own bank. Since it is light and easily carried, he asks why they failed to bring it—whether they ignored it out of contempt or refrained because the reed had somehow helped them.