Shloka 66
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
“जैसे-जैसे ही जीवन सुरक्षित रहे, उसे बिना अवहेलनाके करना चाहिये। मरनेसे जीवित रहना श्रेष्ठ है, क्योंकि जीवित पुरुष पुन: धर्मका आचरण कर सकता है ।।
yathā-yathā hi jīvanaṃ surakṣitaṃ bhavet, tad anavamānataḥ kartavyam | maraṇād jīvitaṃ śreyaḥ, yataḥ jīvan puruṣaḥ punaḥ dharmam ācarituṃ śaknoti || so 'haṃ jīvitam ākāṅkṣan abhakṣyasyāpi bhakṣaṇam | vyavasye buddhi-pūrvaṃ vai tad bhavān anumanyatām ||
«Tant que la vie peut être gardée sauve, il faut la préserver sans la mépriser. Vivre vaut mieux que mourir, car l’homme qui demeure en vie peut de nouveau pratiquer le dharma. C’est pourquoi, désirant vivre, j’ai résolu en pleine conscience de manger même ce qui est d’ordinaire interdit ; je te prie d’y consentir.»
घपच उवाच
Educational Q&A
Preserving life is presented as a legitimate priority because continued life enables future practice of dharma; thus, in extremity, one may choose a normally prohibited act with conscious deliberation, aiming to return to righteous conduct later.
The speaker argues for safeguarding life and seeks approval for a decision made under necessity: to eat something classified as abhakṣya (forbidden), justifying it as a means to survive and thereby remain capable of practicing dharma again.