Shloka 13
Janamejaya’s Appeal for Pacification and Śaunaka’s Counsel on Humility (जनमेजय-शौनक संवादः)
स तथोक्तस्तथेत्युक्त्वा लुब्धो गात्राण्यतापयत् । अननिं प्रत्यागतप्राणस्तत: प्राह विहजड्गमम्,तब उस व्याधने “बहुत अच्छा” कहकर अपने सारे अंगोंको तपाया। अग्निका सेवन करके उसकी जानमें जान आयी। तब वह कबूतरसे कुछ कहनेको उद्यत हुआ
sa tathoktas tathety uktvā lubdho gātrāṇy atāpayat | anagnin pratyāgataprāṇas tataḥ prāha vihagaṅgamam ||
Thus addressed, the hunter replied, “So be it,” and, driven by greed, held all his limbs to the heat, enduring the hardship. Taking in the fire’s warmth, his life-breath returned. Then he prepared to speak to the bird—the pigeon.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Greed can drive a person to endure suffering and still remain intent on an unethical aim; the verse sets up a dharmic confrontation where the hunter’s revived resolve will be tested against the bird’s moral stance.
After being spoken to, the hunter agrees (“so be it”), undergoes bodily hardship, regains his strength, and then turns to speak to the pigeon—marking a transition to the next exchange in the episode.