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 ||
ഹേ ദേവ ശതക്രതോ! ഇത് നിനക്കും പ്രത്യക്ഷമാണ്—സമൃദ്ധരായിട്ടും അകുലീനരുടെ കുലസ്ഥിതി എങ്ങനെ മറിഞ്ഞുപോകുന്നു എന്ന്.
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.