Shloka 12
Ālasyadoṣa-nirdeśa (On the Fault of Negligence) — The Camel’s Long-Neck Exemplum
स दृष्टवा मांसजीवी तु सुभृशं क्षुच्छुमान्वित: । अभक्षयत् ततो ग्रीवामुष्टस्य भरतर्षभ,भरतश्रेष्ठ। वह मांसजीवी गीदड़ अत्यन्त भूखके कारण कष्ट पा रहा था, अतः उसने ऊँटकी गर्दनका मांस काट-काटकर खाना आरम्भ कर दिया
sa dṛṣṭvā māṁsajīvī tu subhṛśaṁ kṣucchumānvitāḥ | abhakṣayat tato grīvām uṣṭasya bharatarṣabha ||
ラクダを目にすると、肉を食らって生きるそのジャッカルは、激しい飢えに苦しみ、ラクダの首を噛み裂き、むさぼり食い始めた。
उड्ड उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how overpowering hunger and ingrained predatory disposition can eclipse restraint, leading to harmful action; ethically, it cautions that unchecked impulses (kṣudh/kāma) can push one away from dharma and compassion.
A flesh-eating jackal, suffering acute hunger, sees a camel and begins to feed by biting and devouring the camel’s neck, depicting opportunistic violence driven by need and habit.