Shloka 56
Gautama–Śakra Saṃvāda: Karma, Loka-bheda, and the Restoration of the Elephant
शतक्रतुरुवाच मघवाहं लोकपथं प्रजाना- मन्वागमं परिवादे गजस्य । तस्माद् भवान् प्रणतं मानुशास्तु ब्रवीषि यत् तत् करवाणि सर्वम्
Śatakratur uvāca: Maghavāhaṁ lokapathe prajānām anvāgamaṁ parivāde gajasya | tasmād bhavān praṇataṁ mānuśāstu bravīṣi yat tat karavāṇi sarvam ||
Śatakratu (Indra) berkata: “Aku, Maghavan, telah menjadi bahan celaan di hadapan pandangan manusia kerana urusan gajah itu. Maka aku menundukkan kepala dengan patuh di hadapanmu. Ajarkanlah kepadaku kewajipan yang patut dilakukan oleh seorang manusia—apa sahaja yang engkau perintahkan, akan kulaksanakan semuanya.”
गौतम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the powerful are bound by dharma: when one’s action brings public blame and moral fault, the proper response is humility, seeking guidance from the righteous, and readiness to perform whatever corrective duty (prāyaścitta/ācāra) is prescribed.
Indra (Śatakratu/Maghavan) admits that, due to the episode involving the elephant, he has become an object of reproach among people. He bows to the sage and asks for instruction on proper conduct, promising to carry out whatever is commanded.