Shloka 44
कपिल–स्यूमरश्मि संवादः
Kapila and Syūmaraśmi on Renunciation, Householder Support, and Epistemic Authority
बहुदंशाकुलान् देशान् नयन्ति बहुकर्दमान् । वाहसम्पीडिता धुर्या: सीदन्त्यविधिना परे
bahudaṁśākulān deśān nayanti bahukardamān | vāhasampīḍitā dhuryāḥ sīdanty avidhinā pare ||
Tulādhāra says: People forcibly drive animals away from lands free of biting pests, knowing well how dear these creatures are to their mothers and how painful the separation will be. They take them into regions swarming with stinging insects and thick with mud. Likewise, many draught animals, crushed under heavy loads, collapse when others torment them unlawfully.
तुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that adharma often lies in the hidden violence behind ordinary economic activity—coercion, separation of young from mothers, and overburdening animals—urging compassion and lawful conduct (vidhi) rather than exploitation.
Tulādhāra rebukes a moral objection by pointing to common practices: people raid pest-free regions to seize animals and drive them into harsh, insect-ridden, muddy lands, and they overload and mistreat draught animals until they collapse.