Shloka 4
Ānṛśaṃsya–Bhakti: Śukaḥ Śakreṇa Parīkṣitaḥ
Compassion and Devotion—The Parrot Tested by Indra
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत अनुशासनपर्वके अन्तर्गत दानधर्मपर्वनें विशज्वामित्रका उपाख्यानविषयक चौथा अध्याय पूरा हुआ
tatra cāmiṣa-lubdhena lubdhakena mahāvane | avidūre mṛgān dṛṣṭvā bāṇaḥ pratisaṃhitaḥ ||
Là, dans cette grande forêt, le chasseur, avide de chair, aperçut non loin quelques cerfs et, ajustant son tir, décocha une flèche contre eux.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up an ethical contrast: actions driven by craving (meat-greed) lead to harm and invite dharmic evaluation. In the broader dāna-dharma context, it functions as the opening of an illustrative episode where desire, livelihood, and compassion are weighed against righteous conduct.
A hunter in a large forest sees deer nearby and prepares/aims an arrow to shoot them. This moment initiates the episode’s chain of events by foregrounding the hunter’s motive (greed for flesh) and the impending act of violence.