कः कृष्णसर्पमासीनमाशीविषमनागसम्।तुदत्यभिसमापन्नमङ्गुल्यग्रेण लीलया।।।।
kaḥ kṛṣṇasarpam āsīnam āśīviṣam anāgasam | tudaty abhisamāpannam aṅgulyagreṇa līlayā ||
誰が戯れに、近くにとぐろを巻く黒き蛇——無垢なれど猛毒の大蛇——を指先で突き、なお安泰でいられると思うのか。
As she was speaking, the inflamed Khara ordered fourteen very strong demons, comparable to Yama, the god of death, to proceed.
Dharma here is prudence and restraint: one should not provoke danger or commit harm frivolously, because actions have inevitable consequences.
After Śūrpaṇakhā is disfigured, Khara reacts with anger and uses a metaphor to describe the folly of provoking a powerful adversary.
Discernment (viveka): recognizing that reckless aggression invites ruin.