Shloka 22
Brāhmaṇa-mahattva and Atithi-Dharma
Brahmagītā: Praise of Brāhmaṇas and norms of honor
उशीनर कपोते तु यदि स्नेहस्तवानघ । ततस्त्वं मे प्रयच्छाद्य स्वमांसं तुलया धृतम्,निष्पाप महाराज उशीनर! यदि आपको इस कबूतरपर बड़ा स्नेह है तो आप मुझे इसके बराबर अपना ही मांस तराजूपर तौलकर दे दीजिये
uśīnara kapote tu yadi snehastavānagha | tatastvaṃ me prayacchādya svamāṃsaṃ tulayā dhṛtam ||
Le faucon dit : « Ô roi d’Uśīnara, sans faute, si tu as vraiment tant d’affection pour cette colombe, alors aujourd’hui donne-moi ta propre chair : place-la sur la balance et pèse-la jusqu’à ce qu’elle l’égale. »
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is tested through competing claims: compassion for the weak (protecting the dove seeking refuge) must be balanced with fairness toward another being’s rightful need (the hawk’s hunger). The verse frames an ethical demand for an equivalent substitute, highlighting self-sacrifice as a way to uphold both compassion and justice.
The hawk confronts King Uśīnara, who is protecting a dove. The hawk insists that if the king’s affection is genuine, he should compensate by giving his own flesh equal in weight to the dove, measured on a balance—turning the episode into a moral trial of the king’s resolve.