Go-apahāra (Cattle Theft), Go-dāna (Cow-Gift), and Suvarṇa-dakṣiṇā (Gold Fee): Karmic Consequence and Purificatory Merit
खमावृत्योदपानस्य कृकलास: स्थितो महान् । तस्य नास्ति समुद्धर्तेत्येतत् कृष्णे न््यवेदयन्
kham āvṛtyodapānasya kṛkalāsaḥ sthito mahān | tasya nāsti samuddhartety etat kṛṣṇe nyavedayan |
Bhīṣma dit : «Un énorme lézard est coincé dans un puits, étendu de telle sorte qu’il couvre tout le morceau de ciel visible depuis le fond. Et pourtant, nul ne peut le soulever pour l’en tirer.» Ainsi rapportèrent-ils l’affaire à Kṛṣṇa.
भीष्म उवाच
The verse highlights compassion and duty toward beings in distress: when someone (even an animal) is trapped and cannot be saved by ordinary effort, one should still seek help from those with greater capacity—implying that power and ability carry responsibility.
A report is made to Krishna about a huge lizard stuck in a well, so large it seems to cover the well’s visible sky; the speakers emphasize that no ordinary person can extract it, prompting an appeal to Krishna as the capable rescuer.