Shloka 19
स ददर्श ततो हंसान् जातरूपपरिष्कृतान् | वने विचरतां तेषामेकं जग्राह पक्षिणम्,इतनेहीमें उनकी दृष्टि कुछ हंसोंपर पड़ी, जो सुवर्णमय पंखोंसे विभूषित थे। वे उसी उपवनमें विचर रहे थे। राजाने उनमेंसे एक हंसको पकड़ लिया
sa dadarśa tato haṁsān jātarūpa-pariṣkṛtān | vane vicaratāṁ teṣām ekaṁ jagrāha pakṣiṇam ||
Then he saw swans whose bodies were adorned as if refined with gold. As they wandered about in the forest-grove, the king seized one bird from among them—an act that sets the scene for a consequential exchange, where a ruler’s impulse to possess meets the ethical demand to respect living beings and the order of dharma.
बृहृदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a small act driven by desire—such as seizing a harmless creature—can become the starting point for a moral test. The verse hints at the dharmic tension between royal power (the ability to take) and ethical restraint (the duty to protect and act with self-control).
Bṛhadaśva narrates that the king notices swans shining as if adorned with gold while they roam in the forest. He catches one of them, initiating the next development in the story, typically involving dialogue or a lesson arising from this capture.