Shloka 25
कि कृतं ते नरश्रेष्ठ मामिहानागसं घ्नता । मुनिं मूलफलाहारं मृगवेषधरं नृप,नरश्रेष्ठ! मैं तो फल-मूलका आहार करनेवाला एक मुनि हूँ और मृगका रूप धारण करके शम-दमके पालनमें तत्पर हो सदा जंगलोंमें ही निवास करता हूँ। मुझ निरपराधको मारकर यहाँ तुमने क्या लाभ उठाया? तुमने मेरी हत्या की है, इसलिये बदलेमें मैं भी तुम्हें शाप देता हूँ
kiṁ kṛtaṁ te naraśreṣṭha mām ihānāgasaṁ ghnatā | muniṁ mūlaphalāhāraṁ mṛgaveṣadharaṁ nṛpa ||
The deer said: “O best of men, what have you gained by killing me here though I am without offense? O king, I am an ascetic who lives on roots and fruits, wearing the guise of a deer. By striking down an innocent, you have committed a grave wrong; therefore, in return, I pronounce a curse upon you.”
मृग उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores dharma in the form of non-violence and moral accountability: harming an innocent being—especially one living an ascetic, harmless life—invites ethical and karmic consequences, here expressed as a retaliatory curse.
A king has killed a deer that is actually an ascetic (muni) disguised in deer-form. The dying speaker confronts the king, declares his innocence and ascetic identity, questions the ‘gain’ of such an act, and announces a curse as retribution.