Shloka 47
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
लुब्धक उवाच वध्यस्त्वं मम दुर्बुद्धे बालघाती नृशंसकृत् । भाषसे किं बहु पुनर्वध्य: सन् पन्नगाधम
lubdhaka uvāca | vadhyas tvaṃ mama durbuddhe bālaghātī nṛśaṃsakṛt | bhāṣase kiṃ bahu punar vadhyaḥ san pannagādhama ||
व्याध बोला—“अरे दुर्बुद्धि नीच सर्प! तू बालघाती और नृशंस कर्म करने वाला है; इसलिए मेरे हाथों वध के योग्य है। वध्य होकर भी तू अपने को निर्दोष सिद्ध करने के लिए बार-बार इतनी बातें क्यों बना रहा है?”
लुब्धक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moral condemnation is framed through labels like “child-killer” and “cruel-doer,” and it raises an ethical tension: the hunter treats the serpent as already guilty and unworthy of defense, showing how anger and certainty can shut down inquiry into dharma.
In a heated exchange, the hunter addresses a serpent, declaring it deserving of death for cruel acts (especially killing the young) and rebuking it for speaking at length as though trying to justify itself despite being marked for execution.