Shloka 9

Adhyāya 179 — Bharadvāja’s Reductionist Inquiry into Jīva and Pañcabhūta Dissolution

Devanagari script

सामिषं कुररं दृष्टवा वध्यमानं निरामिषै: । आमिषस्य परित्यागात्‌ कुरर: सुखमेधते

Transliteration

sāmiṣaṃ kuraraṃ dṛṣṭvā vadhyamānaṃ nirāmiṣaiḥ | āmiṣasya parityāgāt kuraraḥ sukham edhate ||

Translation

Dijo Bhīṣma: Al ver a un ave kurara que llevaba carne, otras aves que no tenían carne la atacaron. Cuando abandonó el bocado, dejaron de perseguirla. Así, al renunciar al cebo de los placeres de los sentidos, el kurara halló sosiego y prosperó en felicidad; por ello el kurara se volvió un “maestro”, al enseñar la renuncia a los goces.

Word by Word

• सामिषम्: having meat; with flesh (as object seen)
• सामिषम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सामिष
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कुररम्: the kurara-bird (osprey/sea-eagle)
• कुररम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral), Non-finite

• वध्यमानम्: being killed/attacked
• Type: Verb
• Root: वध्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular, शानच् (present passive participle), Passive

• निरामिषैः: by those without meat (i.e., without a flesh-piece)
• निरामिषैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निरामिष
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• आमिषस्य: of the meat; of the bait/flesh
• Type: Noun
• Root: आमिष
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• परित्यागात्: from/through the abandonment (renunciation)
• परित्यागात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: परित्याग
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• कुररः: the kurara-bird
• कुररः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सुखम्: happiness; ease
• सुखम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• एधते: thrives; prospers; grows
• Type: Verb
• Root: एध्
• Form: Present, Indicative, Atmanepada, Third, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• kurara (bird)
• āmiṣa (morsel of meat)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Attachment to tempting possessions (āmiṣa, ‘bait’) invites conflict and suffering; relinquishing the object of craving removes the cause of harassment and brings peace—an ethical lesson in vairāgya (detachment).

What is happening in the narrative?

A kurara bird flying with a piece of meat is attacked by other birds; when it drops the meat, the attackers stop, and the bird becomes safe and content—serving as an illustrative ‘guru’ for renouncing enjoyments.