Shloka 19
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving
Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum
अहमासं मनुष्यो वै शूद्रो बहुधन: प्रभो । अब्रद्याण्यो नृशंसश्न कदर्यो वृद्धिजीवन:
aham āsaṁ manuṣyo vai śūdro bahu-dhanaḥ prabho | abrāhmaṇyo nṛśaṁsaś ca kadaryo vṛddhi-jīvanaḥ prabho ||
ແມງນ້ອຍນັ້ນເວົ້າວ່າ: «ຂ້າແຕ່ພຣະອົງ, ໃນຊາດກ່ອນ ຂ້ອຍເຄີຍເປັນມະນຸດ—ແທ້ຈິງແລ້ວເປັນຊູດຣະ (Śūdra) ຜູ້ມັ່ງຄັ່ງຫຼາຍ. ຂ້ອຍບໍ່ມີຄວາມເຄົາລົບຕໍ່ພຣາຫມັນ (Brāhmaṇa); ຂ້ອຍໂຫດຮ້າຍ ໄຮ້ເມດຕາ, ຂີ້ຕື່ນ ແລະດຳລົງຊີວິດດ້ວຍການກິນດອກເບ້ຍ. ເພາະການປະພຶດແບບນັ້ນ ຂ້ອຍຈຶ່ງຕົກມາຢູ່ສະພາບຕ່ຳຕ້ອຍນີ້».
कीट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth without dharma becomes a cause of downfall: irreverence toward the worthy (especially Brāhmaṇas), cruelty, miserliness, and living by exploitative gain (interest/usury) generate negative karma that can lead to a degraded rebirth.
An insect speaks to a lordly interlocutor, confessing its former human life: though rich, it was a Śūdra who lacked respect for Brāhmaṇas and lived cruelly and greedily by usury; the confession explains the karmic reason for its present low birth.