Shloka 10

Ānṛśaṃsya–Bhakti: Śukaḥ Śakreṇa Parīkṣitaḥ

Compassion and Devotion—The Parrot Tested by Indra

Devanagari script

ततश्चिन्तामुपगत: शक्र: कथमयं द्विज: । तिर्यग्योनावसम्भाव्यमानृशंस्थमवस्थित:,इन्द्र यह सोचने लगे कि यह पक्षी कैसे ऐसी अलौकिक दयाको अपनाये बैठा है, जो पक्षीकी योनिमें प्रायः असम्भव है

Transliteration

tataś cintām upagataḥ śakraḥ katham ayaṃ dvijaḥ | tiryagyonāv asambhāvyam ānṛśaṃsya-stham avasthitaḥ ||

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ശക്രനായ ഇന്ദ്രൻ ചിന്തയിൽ ആഴ്ന്നു—“ഇവൻ ദ്വിജൻ; എന്നാൽ ഇപ്പോൾ തിര്യഗ്യോനിയിൽ ജനിച്ചവൻ. ഈ യോനിയിൽ പ്രായഃ അസംബവമെന്ന് കരുതുന്ന കരുണയിൽ എങ്ങനെ അവൻ സ്ഥിരമായി നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു?”

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

चिन्ताम्thought, चिंता

उपगतःhaving reached/entered (a state)

शक्रःŚakra (Indra)

कथम्how?

अयम्this

द्विजःbird (lit. twice-born)

तिर्यक्-योनौin an animal birth/species

असम्भाव्यम्hardly possible, improbable

आनृशंस्यम्compassion, non-cruelty

अवस्थितःstanding/remaining, situated

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Shakra (Indra)

Dvija (the twice-born person, presently in an animal birth)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Compassion (ānṛśaṃsya) is upheld as a high dharmic virtue that can shine even under limiting conditions such as an animal birth; true ethical excellence is measured by conduct, not merely by status or circumstance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma narrates that Indra (Śakra) becomes thoughtful, astonished that a being described as a dvija—though currently in an animal species—remains firmly established in extraordinary compassion, something considered rare in such a birth.