Shloka 23
Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra
श्येन उवाच उशीनर कपोते ते यदि स्नेहो नराधिप । आत्मनो मांसमुत्कृत्य कपोततुलया धृतम्,बाज बोला--महाराज उशीनर! यदि आपका इस कबूतरपर स्नेह है तो इसीके बराबर अपना मांस काटकर तराजूमें रखिये। नृपश्रेष्ठी जब वह तौलमें इस कबूतरके बराबर हो जाय तब वही मुझे दे दीजियेगा, उससे मेरी तृप्ति हो जायगी
śyena uvāca | uśīnara kapote te yadi sneho narādhipa | ātmano māṁsam utkṛtya kapota-tulayā dhṛtam ||
The hawk said: “O Uśīnara, lord of men, if you truly have affection for this pigeon, then cut flesh from your own body and place it on the scale equal to the pigeon’s weight. When your flesh balances the pigeon, give that to me; then I shall be satisfied.” In this ethical trial, the predator demands a lawful substitute, pressing the king to prove that compassion and protection of the weak are not mere words but a lived commitment, even at personal cost.
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True dharma is tested under pressure: compassion and the duty to protect a supplicant must be upheld without injustice to others, even if it requires personal sacrifice. The hawk’s demand frames a ‘fair exchange’ so the king’s mercy does not become partiality that ignores another being’s rightful need.
A pigeon has sought refuge with King Uśīnara, and a hawk pursuing it demands its prey. The hawk proposes a condition: if the king insists on saving the pigeon, he must offer an equal weight of his own flesh on a scale. This sets up the king’s moral ordeal and demonstrates the seriousness of granting asylum.