Shloka 7
भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या
Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa
तथा मुमूर्षमासीनमकूजन्तमचेतसम् । इन्द्र: शूगालरूपेण बभाषे लुब्धभानसम्
tathā mumūrṣam āsīnam akūjantam acetasaṃ | indraḥ śūgālarūpeṇa babhāṣe lubdhabhānasam ||
Le voyant assis là, désirant mourir — évanoui, sans conscience et muet — mais intérieurement consumé par l’avidité des richesses, Indra prit la forme d’un chacal et s’adressa à cet homme cupide.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how greed can persist even in extreme weakness and near-death states, and how such attachment clouds awareness. Indra’s disguised approach signals that dharma is tested precisely when the mind is vulnerable; ethical clarity requires overcoming covetousness and delusion.
Bhishma narrates a scene where a man sits faint and silent, desiring death yet mentally fixated on wealth. Observing this, Indra comes in the guise of a jackal and begins to speak to him, setting up a corrective dialogue or test.