Shloka 27
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
न ब्राह्मणानां कोपो$स्ति कुत: कोपाच्च यातनाम् | मार्दवात् क्षम्यतां साथो मुच्यतामेष पन्नग:
na brāhmaṇānāṁ kopo 'sti kutaḥ kopāc ca yātanām | mārdavāt kṣamyatāṁ sātho mucyatām eṣa pannagaḥ ||
Le chasseur dit : «Les brahmanes ne sont pas enclins à la colère ; et s’il n’y a point de colère, comment pourraient-ils infliger la souffrance par emportement ? Ainsi, ô vertueuse, réfugie-toi dans la douceur : pardonne la faute de ce serpent et rends-lui la liberté.»
लुब्धक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse upholds kṣamā (forgiveness) and mārdava (gentleness) as marks of righteous conduct, especially associated with Brahminical ideals of self-restraint: one should not punish out of anger, but incline toward mercy and release.
The hunter addresses a virtuous person (sādhu), arguing that a Brahmin is not characterized by anger and therefore should not cause pain in retaliation; he urges the listener to forgive the serpent’s wrongdoing and free it.