Shloka 8
कल्माषपाद-शाप-कारणम्
Cause of Kalmāṣapāda’s Niyoga under a Curse
क्षुत्पिपासापरिश्रान्तं तर्कयामास वै नृपम् । पतितं पातनं संख्ये शात्रवाणां महीतले
kṣutpipāsāpariśrāntaṃ tarkayāmāsa vai nṛpam | patitaṃ pātanaṃ saṅkhye śātravāṇāṃ mahītale ||
Melihat raja terbaring jatuh di tanah—dia yang dalam peperangan pernah menjatuhkan barisan musuh—Gandharva pun menyimpulkan bahawa pemerintah itu kini keletihan, lemah kerana lapar dan dahaga. Rangkap ini menegaskan bahawa bahkan yang perkasa boleh direndahkan oleh keperluan jasmani, dan bahawa pemerhatian yang teliti melahirkan penilaian yang berperikemanusiaan serta bermuatan etika, bukan penghinaan terhadap musuh yang telah tumbang.
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power and martial prowess do not exempt anyone from basic human limits; ethical judgment should be guided by attentive understanding of circumstances (here, hunger, thirst, and fatigue) rather than by triumphalism over someone who has fallen.
The Gandharva observes a king lying fallen on the ground—formerly a formidable subduer of enemies in battle—and concludes that the king’s collapse is due to hunger, thirst, and exhaustion.