Shloka 21
Śibi’s Weighing of Dharma
The Hawk and the Dove Trial) — शिबेर्धर्मतुला (श्येन-कपोतोक्तिः
जलां चोपजलां चैव यमुनामभितो नदीम् | उशीनरो वै यत्रेष्टवा वासवादत्यरिच्यत,यमुना नदीके दोनों पार्श्वमें जला और उपजला नामकी दो नदियोंका दर्शन करो, जहाँ राजा उशीनरने यज्ञ करके इन्द्रसे भी ऊँचा स्थान प्राप्त किया था
jalāṁ copajalāṁ caiva yamunām abhito nadīm | uśīnaro vai yatreṣṭvā vāsavād atyaricyata ||
“Behold the rivers Jalā and Upajalā on either bank of the Yamunā. It was here that King Uśīnara performed a sacrifice and, through its merit, attained a station surpassing even Vāsava (Indra).”
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical idea that righteous ritual action (yajña performed with proper intent and dharma) generates merit capable of elevating a person beyond ordinary limits—even beyond the status of gods—thereby affirming human moral agency and the power of disciplined virtue.
The speaker points out a sacred region along the Yamunā, identifying the nearby rivers Jalā and Upajalā, and recalls a local exemplum: King Uśīnara once performed a sacrifice there and attained a rank surpassing Indra, marking the place as a tīrtha-like site of remembered merit.