Shloka 16
नलस्य बाहुकत्वेन ऋतुपर्णनगरप्रवेशः
Nala as Bāhuka enters Ṛtuparṇa’s city
यच्चोक्त विहगैहसै: समीपे तव भूमिप । मत्समक्ष॑ यदुक्तं च तदवेक्षितुमहसि,भूमिपाल! आकाशचारी हंसोंने आपके समीप तथा मेरे सामने जो बातें कही थीं, उनपर विचार कीजिये
yac coktaṁ vihagaiḥ haṁsaiḥ samīpe tava bhūmipa | matsamakṣaṁ yad uktaṁ ca tad avekṣitum arhasi, bhūmipāla ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “O king, you should reflect carefully on what was spoken by the birds—the swans—near you, and also on what they said in my very presence. Consider their words well, O protector of the earth.”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should not dismiss counsel merely because it comes from unexpected sources; he must examine words spoken near him and in public, weighing their meaning and implications before acting.
Bṛhadaśva addresses the king and urges him to reconsider the statements made by swans (birds) both in the king’s vicinity and in Bṛhadaśva’s presence, indicating that those utterances carry significance and deserve thoughtful scrutiny.