Shloka 89
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
इमं क्षितितले त्यक्त्वा बाल॑ रूपसमन्वितम्
imaṃ kṣititale tyaktvā bāla-rūpa-samanvitam | yaḥ sundaraḥ bālakaḥ tumhāre kulakī śobhā baḍhāne-vālā hai | ayaṃ rūpa-yauvanena sampannaḥ tathā svayā kāntyā prakāśitaḥ | mūrkhāḥ! asya putrasya pṛthivyāṃ nikṣepya yūyaṃ kva gamiṣyatha?
Jambuka said: “Having cast this child—endowed with the form of a young boy—upon the ground, where do you think you will go? This beautiful boy will increase the glory of your lineage. He is possessed of beauty and youth, and he shines with his own radiance. O fools! After throwing this son onto the earth, what refuge or destination can you possibly claim?”
जम्बुक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns abandoning a helpless child and frames such an act as a grave ethical failure. It emphasizes dharma as protection of the vulnerable and warns that those who commit cruelty cannot claim a righteous destination or refuge.
Jambuka rebukes people who have thrown a radiant, promising boy onto the ground. He highlights the child’s beauty and potential to bring honor to the family, and challenges the perpetrators by asking where they expect to go after committing such a heartless act.