Shloka 20
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
अथ दीर्घस्य कालस्य त॑ देशं मूषिका ययु: । ददृशुस्तं च ते तत्र धार्मिक ब्रतचारिणम्
atha dīrghasya kālasya taṁ deśaṁ mūṣikā yayuḥ | dadṛśus taṁ ca te tatra dhārmikaṁ vratacāriṇam ||
Kemudian, setelah waktu yang sangat lama, para tikus pun pergi ke tempat itu. Di sana mereka melihatnya—seekor kucing yang tampak saleh, menjalankan tapa-brata yang keras.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up an ethical contrast between appearance and reality: a predator can adopt the external marks of dharma and vow-observance, warning that moral discernment should not rely only on outward austerity.
After a long interval, the mice arrive at the location and see a cat presented as righteous and practicing a strict vow, introducing a situation where the mice may be drawn into trust based on the cat’s ascetic display.