Shloka 10
Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra
प्रमृते मयि धर्मात्मन् पुत्रदारादि नड्क्ष्यति | रक्षमाण: कपोतं त्वं बहून् प्राणान् न रक्षसि
pramṛte mayi dharmātman putradārādi naṅkṣyati | rakṣamāṇaḥ kapotaṃ tvaṃ bahūn prāṇān na rakṣasi, prajānātha |
Le faucon dit : «Ô homme de dharma, si je meurs, ma femme, mes enfants et mes dépendants périront aussi. Seigneur des créatures, en protégeant cette seule colombe, tu ne protèges pas de nombreuses vies. Car aujourd’hui tu m’as privé de ma nourriture, et mon souffle vital quittera ce corps pour prendre la voie de la mort.»
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-conflict: compassion toward a refugee (the pigeon) versus responsibility toward other dependents (the hawk’s family). It highlights that ethical choices can have cascading consequences, and that ‘protecting’ must consider all lives affected, not only the most visible victim.
A hawk argues with a righteous protector who has given asylum to a pigeon. The hawk claims that being denied its prey deprives it of food, leading to its death and the ruin of its wife and children; thus, saving the pigeon may indirectly cause multiple deaths.