Shloka 22
मधुकैटभवधोपाख्यानम्
The Account of the Slaying of Madhu and Kaiṭabha
अपि प्रत्यक्षमेवैतत् तव देव शतक्रतो । अकुलानां समृद्धानां कथं कुलविपर्यय:,देव शतक्रतो! आप भी तो यह प्रत्यक्ष ही देख रहे हैं कि किस प्रकार समृद्धिशाली अकुलीन मनुष्योंके कुलमें उलट-फेर हो जाता है
api pratyakṣam evaitat tava deva śatakrato | akulānāṁ samṛddhānāṁ kathaṁ kulaviparyayaḥ ||
「神なるシャタクラトゥよ、あなた自身がまさに見ておられるではないか。富み栄えていても確かな家系に支えられぬ者たちの『家の位』が、いかに忽ち覆りうるかを。」
बक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth and outward success alone do not guarantee stable honor or continuity; when social standing is not rooted in established lineage and upheld by dharma, it is vulnerable to sudden reversal (kulaviparyaya).
Bak addresses Indra (Śatakratu), appealing to what Indra can ‘see directly’: the observable fact that prosperous people lacking established lineage can experience an abrupt overturning of their family-status and reputation.