Shloka 4

Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra

Devanagari script

एवमभ्यागतस्थेह कपोतस्या भयार्थिन: । अप्रदाने परं धर्म कथं श्येन न पश्यसि

Transliteration

evam abhyāgatastheha kapotasyā bhayārthinaḥ | apradāne paraṃ dharmaḥ kathaṃ śyena na paśyasi ||

Translation

Le roi dit : «Ce pigeon, terrifié par toi, est venu ici chercher refuge pour sauver sa vie. En ne livrant pas celui qui est venu demander protection, on maintient le dharma le plus élevé. Ô faucon, comment ne le vois-tu pas ?»

Word by Word

• {'evam': 'thus, in this manner', 'abhyāgata': 'one who has come near

• a suppliant/guest seeking shelter', 'stha (stheha)': "standing/remaining

• here in the sense of 'having come and stayed (for refuge)'", 'iha': 'here', 'kapota': 'pigeon, dove', 'bhaya': 'fear', 'arthin': 'one who seeks, a petitioner

• here: seeking safety from fear', 'apradāna': 'non-giving, not handing over (to another)', 'parama': 'supreme, highest', 'dharma': 'righteous duty

• right conduct', 'katham': 'how?', 'śyena': 'hawk (also used as a raptor in general)', 'na': 'not', 'paśyasi': 'you see, you perceive'}

Speaker

श्येन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• śyena (hawk)
• kapota (pigeon)
• rājā (the king, i.e., the protector/host in the Śibi-type refuge narrative)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts that the highest dharma for a protector (especially a king) is to grant safety to one who seeks refuge and not surrender the suppliant to a pursuer, even when pressured by competing claims.

What is happening in the narrative?

A hawk demands a pigeon as prey, but the king refuses because the frightened pigeon has come to him for protection; the king argues that refusing to hand over a refuge-seeker is supreme righteousness.