Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 23
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving
Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum
गुप्त शरणमाश्रित्य भयेषु शरणागता: । अकस्मात् ते मया त्यक्ता न त्राता अभयैषिण:
gupta-śaraṇam āśritya bhayeṣu śaraṇāgatāḥ | akasmāt te mayā tyaktā na trātā abhayaiṣiṇaḥ ||
भय के समय अभय पाने की इच्छा से बहुत-से शरणार्थी मेरे पास आते थे। मैं उन्हें सुरक्षित गुप्त स्थान में पहुँचा कर भी अकस्मात् वहाँ से निकाल देता; शरणागतों की रक्षा नहीं करता था।
कीट उवाच
Educational Q&A
One who accepts others as śaraṇāgata (refuge-seekers) incurs a dharmic duty to protect them; abandoning them after offering shelter is a grave ethical failure and a betrayal of trust.
The speaker (the kīṭa) confesses a past wrongdoing: people seeking safety in fearful times came to him for refuge, but he suddenly cast them out and did not act as their protector.