Shloka 43
कपिल–स्यूमरश्मि संवादः
Kapila and Syūmaraśmi on Renunciation, Householder Support, and Epistemic Authority
अदंशमशके देशे सुखसंवर्धितान् पशून् । तांश्व मातुः प्रियाञ्जानन्नाक्रम्य बहुधा नरा:
adaṁśamaśake deśe sukhasaṁvardhitān paśūn | tāṁś ca mātuḥ priyān jānann ākramya bahudhā narāḥ ||
Tulādhāra berkata: “Di negeri yang bebas daripada serangga menggigit dan nyamuk, haiwan dibesarkan dengan selesa. Namun ramai manusia, walaupun mengetahui bahawa makhluk itu amat dikasihi ibunya dan perpisahan akan menyakitkan, tetap menyerang dan merampasnya dengan paksa, lalu menghalaunya pergi—membawanya ke daerah yang sarat dengan serangga menyengat, nyamuk, dan lumpur.”
तुलाधार उवाच
Educational Q&A
Tulādhāra highlights the hidden violence in ordinary human practices: even when people know animals are cherished by their mothers, they still forcibly separate and transport them into harsher conditions. The ethical point is that dharma requires sensitivity to suffering and not merely formal justifications for one’s livelihood.
In the Tulādhāra–Jājali dialogue of Śānti Parva, Tulādhāra responds to questions about what constitutes harm and righteousness. Here he gives an example from common life—capturing and relocating well-cared-for animals—to illustrate how humans often inflict suffering while ignoring the emotional bonds and distress involved.