Shloka 29
Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra
श्येन उवाच इन्द्रोडहमस्मि धर्मज्ञ कपोतो हव्यवाडयम् । जिज्ञासमानोौ धर्म त्वां यज्ञवाटमुपागतौ
śyena uvāca indro ’ham asmi dharmajña kapoto havyavāḍ ayam | jijñāsamānau dharma tvāṁ yajñavāṭam upāgatau ||
Le faucon dit : «Ô connaisseur du dharma, je suis Indra, et cette colombe est Agni, le porteur des oblations. Nous sommes venus dans ton enclos sacrificiel pour éprouver et comprendre ton attachement au dharma.»
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not merely declared but demonstrated under pressure; the gods themselves may test a person’s righteousness, especially where compassion, protection, and competing duties collide.
The hawk reveals that he is Indra and that the pigeon is Agni; together they have come to the sacrificial enclosure to examine the addressee’s adherence to dharma by placing him in a moral trial.