Shloka 20
Ulūka’s Provocation and Keśava’s Counter-Message (उलूकदूत्ये केशवप्रत्युत्तरम्)
अथ दीर्घस्य कालस्य त॑ देशं मूषिका ययु: । ददृशुस्तं च ते तत्र धार्मिक ब्रतचारिणम्,“तदनन्तर बहुत समयके पश्चात् उस स्थानमें चूहे भी गये। वहाँ जाकर उन्होंने कठोर व्रतका पालन करनेवाले उस धर्मात्मा बिलावको देखा
atha dīrghasya kālasya taṁ deśaṁ mūṣikā yayuḥ | dadṛśus taṁ ca te tatra dhārmikaṁ vratacāriṇam ||
やがて長い時が過ぎ、鼠たちもその場所へ赴いた。そこで彼らは見た――厳しい誓戒を守り、いかにも法（ダルマ）にかなった者のように振る舞う猫を。物語の流れの中で、彼は外面に法と自制の相を示していた。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up an ethical contrast between appearance and reality: a predator can adopt the external marks of dharma and vow-observance, warning that moral discernment should not rely only on outward austerity.
After a long interval, the mice arrive at the location and see a cat presented as righteous and practicing a strict vow, introducing a situation where the mice may be drawn into trust based on the cat’s ascetic display.