Shloka 25
Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra
शरीरका मांस काटकर देना है हे कु * £ राजा अनुग्रहमिमं मन्ये श्येन यन्माभियाचसे । तस्मात् तेड्द्य प्रदास्यामि स्वमांसं तुलया धृतम्,राजाने कहा--बाज! तुम जो मेरा मांस माँग रहे हो इसे मैं अपने ऊपर तुम्हारी बहुत बड़ी कृपा मानता हूँ, अतः मैं अभी अपना मांस तराजूपर रखकर तुम्हें दिये देता हूँ
śyena uvāca | anugraham imaṁ manye śyena yan mām abhiyācase | tasmāt te ’dya pradāsyāmi sva-māṁsaṁ tulayā dhṛtam |
The king said: “I take it as a kindness, O hawk Śyena, that you ask this of me. Therefore, today I shall give you my own flesh, weighed out upon the balance.”
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma may demand personal loss: the righteous person seeks a fair resolution that protects the vulnerable while also acknowledging the legitimate claim of the other party, even if it requires self-sacrifice.
In the well-known hawk-and-dove ethical test, the speaker offers to cut and give his own flesh, weighed on a balance, to satisfy the hawk’s demand—attempting to save the pursued creature without denying the predator’s need.