Shloka 50
कपिलगोसंवादे गृहस्थ-त्यागधर्मयोः प्रमाण्यविचारः
Kapila–Cow Dialogue: Authority of Householder and Renunciant Dharmas
विप्रवर! जब आप तपस्यासे सिद्ध हो गये, तब पक्षियोंने शीघ्र ही आपके सिरपर अण्डे दिये और उनसे बच्चे पैदा हुए, आपने उन सबकी भलीभाँति रक्षा की ।।
vipravara! yadā tvaṁ tapasyā siddho 'bhūḥ, tadā pakṣiṇaḥ kṣipram eva tava śirasi aṇḍāni nyadadhuḥ, tataḥ śāvā ajāyanta; tān sarvān tvaṁ yathāvat parirakṣitavān. jāta-pakṣā yadā te ca gatāś cārīm itaś tataḥ, manyamānas tato dharmaṁ caṭaka-prabhavaṁ dvija.
Ô le meilleur des brāhmanes ! Lorsque tu eus obtenu le succès par l’austérité, des oiseaux pondirent promptement des œufs sur ta tête, et des oisillons en naquirent. Tu les protégeas tous avec un soin attentif. Quand leurs ailes eurent poussé et qu’ils se mirent à voler çà et là pour chercher leur nourriture, tu en vins, ô deux-fois-né, à tenir pour très grand dharma le mérite né de l’élevage de ces petits moineaux.
तुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
Tulādhāra highlights that dharma is not only austerity or spiritual attainment; it is also expressed through concrete responsibility and compassionate care. The merit gained from protecting vulnerable beings (here, fledglings) is real, yet one should not become self-congratulatory or inflate that merit into pride.
Tulādhāra addresses a Brahmin ascetic who, after succeeding in austerities, had birds lay eggs on his head. He protected the chicks until they grew wings and began to forage on their own. The ascetic then started to regard this act of nurturing as a very great dharma, setting the stage for Tulādhāra’s ethical instruction about the nature of true righteousness.