Shloka 2
धर्मव्याधोपदेशः
Dharma-vyādha’s Instruction on Śiṣṭācāra and Dharma
अग्नि: कपोतरूपेण तमभ्यधावदामिषार्थमिन्द्र: श्येनरूपेण,अग्निदेव कबूतरका रूप धारण करके मानो अपने प्राण बचानेके लिये राजाके पास भागते हुए गये और इन्द्रने बाज पक्षीका रूप धारण कर मांसके लिये उस कबूतरका पीछा किया
agniḥ kapotarūpeṇa tam abhyadhāvad āmiṣārtham | indraḥ śyenarūpeṇa ||
Dijo Mārkaṇḍeya: Agni, tomando la forma de una paloma, se precipitó hacia él en busca de amparo; e Indra, adoptando la forma de un halcón, persiguió a aquella paloma por ansia de carne.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse introduces a classic dharma-conflict: protecting one who seeks refuge versus responding to another’s claim (the pursuer’s demand for prey). It highlights the king’s obligation to uphold compassion and the duty of asylum, even when competing interests press for a different outcome.
Agni and Indra disguise themselves—Agni as a dove fleeing for safety, Indra as a hawk chasing it for meat. They approach the king to provoke a moral decision, testing whether he will protect the vulnerable and how he will resolve the pursuer’s demand.