Shloka 42
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
तथा त्वमपि दुष्टात्मन् बैडालं व्रतमास्थित: । चरसि ज्ञातिषु सदा बिडालो मूषिकेष्विव
tathā tvam api duṣṭātman baiḍālaṁ vratam āsthitaḥ | carasi jñātiṣu sadā biḍālo mūṣikeṣv iva ||
“दुष्टात्मन्! तुमने भी उसी प्रकार ‘बिडाल-व्रत’ धारण कर रखा है। जैसे चूहों के बीच बिलाव धर्म का ढोंग रचता है, वैसे ही तुम अपने ही कुटुम्बियों में धर्मात्मा बनकर फिरते हो।”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns hypocritical displays of dharma used as a cover for harmful intent. True righteousness is measured by conduct and motive, not by outward observance; feigned piety that exploits one’s own community is especially blameworthy.
Sañjaya reports a sharp rebuke in which the addressed person is accused of adopting ‘baiḍāla-vrata’—a metaphor for a cat that pretends to be harmless or pious while stalking prey. The comparison frames the person’s behavior among relatives as deceitful and predatory rather than genuinely dharmic.