Shloka 10
Gautama–Śakra Saṃvāda: Karma, Loka-bheda, and the Restoration of the Elephant
शिष्टं दान्तं कृतज्ञं च प्रियं च सततं मम । न मे विक्रोशतो राजन् हर्तुमहसि कुज्जरम्
bhīṣma uvāca | śiṣṭaṃ dāntaṃ kṛtajñaṃ ca priyaṃ ca satataṃ mama | na me vikrośato rājan hartum arhasi kuñjaram |
Bhishma berkata: “Gajah ini terlatih dan beradab, mampu mengawal diri, tahu berterima kasih, dan sentiasa kukasihi. Wahai Raja, meskipun aku menjerit membantah, tuanku tidak patut merampas gajah ini.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharma as protecting those under one’s care: even an animal that serves faithfully and embodies discipline and gratitude should not be wrongfully seized. Moral fitness (arhasi) is invoked to restrain power with ethical responsibility.
Bhishma addresses a king who is attempting to take an elephant. He protests loudly and argues from the elephant’s virtues—good conduct, self-control, gratitude, and loyal service—urging the king not to remove it.