Shloka 39
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
किल्बिषी चापि मे वध्य: किल्बिषी चासि पन्नग । आत्मानं कारणं द्वात्र त्वमाख्यासि भुजड्रम
kilbiṣī cāpi me vadhyaḥ kilbiṣī cāsi pannaga | ātmānaṃ kāraṇaṃ dvātra tvam ākhyāsi bhujaṅgama ||
Pemburu berkata, “Siapa pun yang bersalah patut dibunuh olehku; dan engkau pun bersalah, wahai ular. Sebab engkau sendiri menyatakan bahwa engkaulah sebab di sini; maka, wahai ular, engkau menjadikan dirimu bertanggung jawab atas kematianmu sendiri.”
लुब्धक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a harsh ethic of retribution: wrongdoing (kilbiṣa) is treated as sufficient ground for punishment, and the serpent is held culpable because it admits its own causal role—highlighting the idea of self-incrimination and responsibility for consequences.
The hunter addresses a serpent, asserting that any offender is killable in his view. He accuses the serpent of being an offender and argues that, since the serpent itself claims to be the cause of the situation, it effectively justifies the hunter’s intent to kill it.