Shloka 12
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving
Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum
वहतां सुमहाभारं संनिकर्षे स्वनं प्रभो । नृणां च संवाहयतां श्रूयते विविध: स्वन:
vahatāṃ sumahābhāraṃ saṃnikarṣe svanaṃ prabho | nṛṇāṃ ca saṃvāhayatāṃ śrūyate vividhaḥ svanaḥ ||
«Seigneur, j’entends tout près le grondement d’un chariot portant un fardeau démesuré. J’entends aussi les cris et les appels variés des hommes qui le mènent. Quand un tel vacarme frappe mes oreilles, la crainte me saisit que le chariot ne vienne m’écraser ; c’est pourquoi je fuis d’ici en hâte. Regarde : le fouet claque sur les bœufs, et les voilà qui s’avancent, haletants sous la lourde charge.»
कीट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the smallest beings experience fear and seek safety; dharma therefore includes attentiveness and compassion so that human activity does not harm the vulnerable—whether by negligence (a cart crushing a creature) or by cruelty (whipping overburdened oxen).
The speaker, a small creature (kīṭa), tells a lord/master that it hears the nearby rumble of a heavily loaded cart and the varied shouts of the men driving it; fearing it may be crushed, it runs away, while also noting the whip striking the oxen and their labored breathing under the load.