Shloka 34
Ajagara-vrata (The ‘Python’ Discipline): Prahrāda Questions a Wandering Sage
कृतध्न: पुरुषव्याप्र मनसेदमचिन्तयत् । अयं बकपति: पाश्चे मांसराशि: स्थितो महान्
bhīṣma uvāca | kṛtadhnaḥ puruṣavyāghra manasedam acintayat | ayaṃ bakapatiḥ pārśve māṃsarāśiḥ sthito mahān |
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô tigre parmi les hommes, cet ingrat se dit en son for intérieur : “Ce roi des hérons est ici, tout près de moi, tel un grand tas de chair. Quel moyen puis-je adopter pour rester en vie ? Je le tuerai, je m’en saisirai pour nourriture, et je quitterai vite ce lieu.” Ainsi, ne voyant aucune autre nourriture sur la route, il s’absorba dans de telles pensées égoïstes.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns kṛtaghnatā (ingratitude): when a person becomes ruled by hunger, fear, or selfish calculation, he may rationalize harming even a benefactor. Dharma requires gratitude and restraint; adharma begins when one treats a living being—especially one who has helped—as merely a ‘heap of meat’ to be exploited.
Bhishma narrates how an ‘ungrateful man,’ finding no food on the road and anxious to preserve his life, notices the king of herons nearby and mentally reduces him to a large supply of meat. He plans to kill the bird, take it as food, and leave quickly—showing a turn toward betrayal and violence driven by expediency.