Shloka 19
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving
Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum
अहमासं मनुष्यो वै शूद्रो बहुधन: प्रभो । अब्रद्याण्यो नृशंसश्न कदर्यो वृद्धिजीवन:,प्रभो! पहले जन्ममें मैं एक मनुष्य, उसमें भी बहुत धनी शूद्र हुआ था। ब्राह्मणोंके प्रति मेरे मनमें आदरका भाव न था। मैं कंजूस, क्रूर और व्याजखोर था
aham āsaṁ manuṣyo vai śūdro bahu-dhanaḥ prabho | abrāhmaṇyo nṛśaṁsaś ca kadaryo vṛddhi-jīvanaḥ prabho ||
Serangga itu berkata: “Wahai Tuanku, dalam kelahiran yang lampau aku pernah menjadi manusia—bahkan seorang Śūdra yang amat kaya. Aku tidak menaruh hormat kepada para Brāhmaṇa; aku keras dan tidak berbelas kasihan, kedekut, dan aku hidup dengan riba. Kerana perbuatan demikian, aku jatuh ke keadaan hina ini.”
कीट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wealth without dharma becomes a cause of downfall: irreverence toward the worthy (especially Brāhmaṇas), cruelty, miserliness, and living by exploitative gain (interest/usury) generate negative karma that can lead to a degraded rebirth.
An insect speaks to a lordly interlocutor, confessing its former human life: though rich, it was a Śūdra who lacked respect for Brāhmaṇas and lived cruelly and greedily by usury; the confession explains the karmic reason for its present low birth.