Shloka 14
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving
Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum
दुःखं हि मृत्युर्थूतानां जीवितं च सुदुर्लभम् | अतो भीत: पलायामि गच्छेयं ना सुखं सुखात्
duḥkhaṁ hi mṛtyur bhūtānāṁ jīvitaṁ ca sudurlabham | ato bhītaḥ palāyāmi gaccheyaṁ nā sukhaṁ sukhāt |
Bagi segala makhluk bernyawa, kematian sesungguhnya menjadi punca penderitaan yang besar, dan kehidupan amat sukar diperoleh. Maka, kerana ketakutan, aku melarikan diri—agar jangan aku terjatuh daripada keadaan senang kepada kesengsaraan.
कीट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Life is rare and precious for all beings; recognizing the suffering associated with death encourages compassion and restraint, supporting an ethic of non-harm (ahiṁsā) and respect for even small creatures.
The speaker, a kīṭa (insect/worm), explains why it is fleeing: out of fear that it may be killed and thus fall from a moment of safety into suffering, emphasizing the universal instinct to preserve life.