Shloka 7
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving
Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum
ब्रह्मभूतश्चरन् विप्र: कृष्णद्वैपायन: पुरा । ददर्श कीटं धावन्तं शीघ्रं शकटवर्त्मनि
brahmabhūtaś caran vipraḥ kṛṣṇadvaipāyanaḥ purā | dadarśa kīṭaṃ dhāvantaṃ śīghraṃ śakaṭavartmani ||
Pada masa lampau, brahmana Kresna Dvaipayana (Vyasa), yang berjalan dalam keadaan menyatu dengan Brahman, melihat seekor serangga kecil berlari sangat cepat di jalur bekas roda pedati.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse initiates an ethical lesson grounded in compassion and non-injury: a realized sage notices even a tiny creature’s urgent effort to preserve its life, suggesting that dharma includes attentiveness to and protection of vulnerable beings.
Bhīṣma recounts an old episode: Vyāsa, while traveling, observes an insect running quickly along a cart’s track. This observation serves as the opening image for a moral exemplum that follows.