Shloka 30
Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra
बाज बोला--धर्मज्ञ नरेश! मैं इन्द्र हूँ और यह कबूतर साक्षात् अग्निदेव हैं। हम दोनों आपके धर्मकी परीक्षा लेनेके लिये इस यज्ञशालामें आपके निकट आये थे ।।
śyena uvāca — dharmajña nareśa! ahaṃ indraḥ, ayaṃ ca kapotaḥ sākṣād agnidevaḥ. āvām ubhau tava dharmaparīkṣārthaṃ asyāṃ yajñaśālāyāṃ tava samīpam āgatāv. yat te māṃsāni gātrebhya utkṛttāni viśāmpate, eṣā te bhāsvatī kīrtiḥ lokān abhibhaviṣyati prajānātha.
Le faucon dit : «Ô roi, connaisseur du dharma ! Je suis Indra, et cette colombe est Agni lui-même. Nous nous sommes approchés de toi dans cette salle sacrificielle pour éprouver ta droiture. Ô seigneur des peuples, la chair que tu as tranchée de tes propres membres et offerte deviendra pour toi une gloire éclatante, surpassant celle de tous.»
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True dharma is demonstrated through costly compassion and steadfast protection of the vulnerable, even when it demands personal loss; such integrity becomes enduring kīrti (renown).
The hawk reveals that it is Indra and the dove is Agni; they had come to the king’s sacrificial hall to test him. Indra praises the king’s act of cutting flesh from his own body to uphold his promise and protect the dove, declaring that this sacrifice will make his fame shine above all.