Shloka 3
Adhyāya 122 — Śruta-vṛtta-yukta Brāhmaṇa and the Ethics of Dāna
Maitreya–Vyāsa Saṃvāda
जानामि पापै: स्वकृतैर्गतं त्वां कीट कीटताम् । अवाप्स्यसि पुनर्धर्म धर्म तु यदि मन्यसे
jānāmi pāpaiḥ svakṛtair gataṃ tvāṃ kīṭa kīṭatām | avāpsyasi punar dharma dharma tu yadi manyase ||
ヴィヤーサは言った。「汝が自ら作った罪によって、汝は虫の境遇へと堕ちたことを私は知っている。だが汝は再びダルマを取り戻すであろう――もし真に、なおダルマを認め、それを権威あるものとして仰ぐならば。」
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wrongdoing brings self-caused downfall (even to a degraded birth), but moral restoration remains possible if one still recognizes dharma and chooses to realign one’s conduct with it.
Vyāsa addresses someone who has fallen into a worm-like condition due to their own sins, affirming his knowledge of the cause and offering a conditional assurance: dharma can be regained if the person still accepts dharma as a guiding principle.