Shloka 16
Gratitude, Discernment, and the Escalation of Power (Śvā–Dvipī–Vyāghra–Nāga–Siṃha–Śarabha Itihāsa)
मुनिर्वाच न भयं द्वीपिन: कार्य मृत्युतस्ते कथंचन । एष श्वरूपरहितो द्वीपी भवसि पुत्रक
munir uvāca na bhayaṁ dvīpinaḥ kāryaṁ mṛtyutas te kathaṁcana | eṣa svarūpa-rahito dvīpī bhavasi putraka ||
Le sage dit : «Mon enfant, tu n’as nullement à craindre ce léopard, quand bien même il serait cause de mort. Regarde : par mon pouvoir, te voilà délivré de ta forme d’autrefois et devenu léopard.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Fear should be governed by discernment and dharma: even when something is ‘death-like,’ one need not succumb to panic when protected by rightful power and guidance. The sage’s assurance models calm, ethical control over danger rather than impulsive fear.
A sage addresses a child and tells him not to fear a deadly leopard. In the same moment, the sage effects a transformation: the child is made ‘form-free’ (freed from his prior shape) and becomes a leopard, indicating the sage’s mastery and the narrative’s use of metamorphosis to convey moral instruction.