Shloka 42
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
जीवितार्थी कथं त्वद्य शत्रुभि: प्रार्थितस्त्रिभि: । तस्मादेनमहं शत्रुं मार्जार संश्रयामि वै,“इधर, मैं भी जीवनकी रक्षा चाहता हूँ, तीन-तीन शत्रु मुझपर घात लगाये बैठे हैं; अतः क्यों न आज मैं अपने शत्रु इस बिलावका ही आश्रय लूँ?
jīvitārthī kathaṃ tv adya śatrubhiḥ prārthitas tribhiḥ | tasmād enam ahaṃ śatruṃ mārjāraṃ saṃśrayāmi vai ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Bagaimana mungkin aku, yang ingin menyelamatkan nyawa, bertindak hari ini ketika tiga musuh sedang mengintai? Maka aku akan berlindung pada musuh ini sendiri—si kucing.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a pragmatic ethical tension: when threatened by multiple dangers, one may seek protection even from a hostile party. It points to the complexity of dharma in crisis—choices may be driven by survival, yet they carry moral ambiguity because refuge is taken in an 'enemy'.
A speaker (Bhīṣma, narrating a didactic episode) voices the predicament of being targeted by three enemies at once and concludes that, to save his life, he will resort to the shelter of a cat—explicitly acknowledging the cat as an enemy, yet choosing it as a temporary refuge against greater immediate threats.