Shloka 23
Kuvalāśva’s Lineage and Uttaṅka’s Petition concerning Dhundhu (धुन्धु-प्रसङ्गः)
तां स मृगयमाणो राजा नापश्यद् वापीमथ निःस्राव्य मण्डूकं श्वशभ्रमुखे दृष्टवा क्रुद्ध आज्ञापपामास स राजा,“राजाने उस वापीमें रानीकी बहुत खोज की, परंतु वह कहीं दिखायी न दी। तब उन्होंने बावलीका सारा जल निकलवा दिया। इसके बाद एक बिलके मुँहपर कोई मेढक दीख पड़ा। इससे राजाको बड़ा क्रोध हुआ और उन्होंने आज्ञा दे दी कि *सर्वत्र मेढकोंका वध किया जाय। जो मुझसे मिलना चाहे, वह मरे हुए मेढकका ही उपहार लेकर मेरे पास आवे'
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tāṃ sa mṛgayamāṇo rājā nāpaśyad vāpy atha niḥsrāvya maṇḍūkaṃ śvaśabhramukhe dṛṣṭvā kruddha ājñāpayām āsa sa rājā | “sarvatra maṇḍūkānāṃ vadhaḥ kriyatām | yo māṃ draṣṭum icchati sa mṛta-maṇḍūkam upahāram ādāyaiva mama samīpam āgacchatu” ||
Vaiśampāyana said: The king searched for the queen but could not see her in the well. He then had the water of the step-well drained. After that, seeing a frog at the mouth of a burrow, he was seized by anger and issued an order: “Let frogs everywhere be killed. Whoever wishes to meet me must come into my presence bringing, as an offering, a dead frog.” The episode highlights how unchecked royal wrath can turn into indiscriminate violence and a perversion of kingship, where the ruler’s personal grievance becomes a public policy of harm.
वैशम्पायन उवाच