Shloka 34
Adhyāya 76: Kuṇḍina-praveśaḥ, Bhīmena satkāraḥ, Ṛtuparṇa-kṣamā, Aśvahṛdaya-pratyarpanam
Nala’s Reception and Reconciliation
चन्द्रमा: सर्वभूतानामन्तश्चरति साक्षिवत् | स मुञ्चतु मम प्राणान् यदि पापं चराम्यहम्,चित्तके अभिमानी देवता चन्द्रमा समस्त प्राणियोंके अन्तःकरणमें साक्षीरूपसे विचरते हैं। यदि मैंने पाप किया है तो वे मेरे प्राणोंका हरण कर लें
candramāḥ sarvabhūtānām antaś carati sākṣivat | sa muñcatu mama prāṇān yadi pāpaṃ carāmy aham ||
Bṛhadaśva said: “The Moon moves within the hearts of all beings as a witness. If I have committed sin, then let him take away my life-breath.”
बृहदश्चव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral accountability is inescapable: a divine witness (here, Chandra) is imagined as present within all beings, so one should speak and act truthfully, accepting consequences if one has done wrong.
Bṛhadaśva makes a solemn self-imprecation: invoking the Moon as an inner witness of all creatures, he declares that if he is guilty of sin, the deity may take his very life—an oath-like assertion of innocence and integrity.