Shloka 2
Janamejaya’s Appeal for Pacification and Śaunaka’s Counsel on Humility (जनमेजय-शौनक संवादः)
तं॑ वै शाकुनिकं दृष्टवा विधिदृष्टेन कर्मणा । स पक्षी पूजयामास यत्नात् तं पक्षिजीविनम्,उस पक्षीने पक्षियोंकी हिंसासे ही जीवन-निर्वाह करनेवाले उस बहेलियेकी ओर देखकर शास्त्रीय विधिके अनुसार यत्नपूर्वक उसका पूजन किया
taṃ vai śākunikaṃ dṛṣṭvā vidhidṛṣṭena karmaṇā | sa pakṣī pūjayāmāsa yatnāt taṃ pakṣijīvinam ||
Bhīṣma said: Seeing that fowler, the bird—acting according to the rule sanctioned by the scriptures—carefully honored him, though he lived by harming birds.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is expressed through right procedure and disciplined conduct: one should uphold prescribed respect and propriety even toward those whose livelihood appears ethically troubling, without letting personal dislike override righteous conduct.
A bird encounters a fowler (bird-catcher). Instead of reacting with hostility, the bird deliberately performs an act of honor toward him in a manner consistent with scriptural injunctions, setting up a reflection on dharma, conduct, and moral complexity.