Shloka 24
Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra
यदा सम॑ कपोतेन तव मांसं नृपोत्तम | तदा देयं तु तन्महां सा मे तुष्टिर्भविष्यति,बाज बोला--महाराज उशीनर! यदि आपका इस कबूतरपर स्नेह है तो इसीके बराबर अपना मांस काटकर तराजूमें रखिये। नृपश्रेष्ठी जब वह तौलमें इस कबूतरके बराबर हो जाय तब वही मुझे दे दीजियेगा, उससे मेरी तृप्ति हो जायगी
yadā samaṁ kapotena tava māṁsaṁ nṛpottama | tadā deyaṁ tu tan mahyaṁ sā me tuṣṭir bhaviṣyati ||
The hawk said: “O best of kings, when the flesh you offer equals the pigeon in weight, then you must give that to me. That alone will satisfy me.”
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is tested where duties collide: protecting a refugee (the pigeon) must be upheld without unjustly denying another being’s rightful claim (the hawk’s hunger). The verse emphasizes fairness through equivalence and the king’s willingness to bear personal cost to uphold protection.
A pigeon has taken refuge with the king, pursued by a hawk. The hawk demands its prey; the king offers his own flesh instead. Here the hawk sets the condition: the king must give flesh equal in weight to the pigeon, establishing a strict measure for the exchange.