Shloka 26
Janamejaya’s Appeal for Pacification and Śaunaka’s Counsel on Humility (जनमेजय-शौनक संवादः)
एवं बहुविधं भूरि विललाप स लुब्धक: । गर्हयन् स्वानि कर्माणि द्विजं दृष्टवा तथागतम्
evaṁ bahuvidhaṁ bhūri vilalāpa sa lubdhakaḥ | garhayan svāni karmāṇi dvijaṁ dṛṣṭvā tathāgatam ||
Ainsi le chasseur, en proie à l’avidité, se livra à d’abondantes lamentations de mille façons, blâmant ses propres actes. Voyant le pigeon en un état si pitoyable, et apercevant le brāhmaṇa venu en ce lieu, il se réprimanda, condamnant sa conduite comme honteuse.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral awakening: when confronted with the consequences of harm, one should honestly condemn one’s own wrongdoing and turn toward dharma—especially in the presence of a righteous witness (the brāhmaṇa).
The hunter, seeing the pigeon’s distress, begins to wail in many ways. On noticing the brāhmaṇa who has arrived, he blames his own actions, expressing remorse for what he has done.