Shloka 16
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
मार्जार: किल दुष्टात्मा निश्रेष्ट: सर्वकर्मसु । ऊर्ध्वबाहुः स्थितो राजन् गड्भातीरे कदाचन,“राजन! यह प्रसिद्ध है कि किसी समय एक दुष्ट बिलाव दोनों भुजाएँ ऊपर किये गंगाजीके तटपर खड़ा रहा। वह किसी भी कार्यके लिये तनिक भी चेष्टा नहीं करता था
mārjāraḥ kila duṣṭātmā niśreṣṭhaḥ sarvakarmasu | ūrdhvabāhuḥ sthito rājan gaṅgātīre kadācana ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, it is well known that once a wicked cat, utterly base in every kind of conduct, stood on the bank of the Gaṅgā with its forelegs raised aloft. It made no effort at any work—posing as if engaged in austerity.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse introduces a moral exemplum: outward displays of austerity or piety can conceal a corrupt nature. Ethical judgment should be based on conduct and intent, not merely on ascetic postures or public appearance.
Sañjaya begins recounting a well-known story: a wicked cat stands on the Gaṅgā’s bank with raised forelegs, adopting the look of a renunciant. The scene sets up a critique of deceptive religiosity and prepares for the cat’s ulterior motive in the ensuing tale.