Shloka 27
स एवमुक्तो नागेन काश्यपो द्विपदां वर: | लब्ध्वा वित्त निववृते तक्षकाद् यावदीप्सितम्,तक्षक नागकी यह बात सुनकर मनुष्योंमें श्रेष्ठ काश्यप उससे इच्छानुसार धन लेकर लौट गये
sa evam ukto nāgena kāśyapo dvipadāṁ varaḥ | labdhvā vittaṁ nivavṛte takṣakād yāvad īpsitam ||
Assim interpelado pela serpente, Kāśyapa—o mais eminente entre os homens—aceitou de Takṣaka tanta riqueza quanto desejava e então voltou atrás. O episódio ressalta que até um protetor capaz pode ser desviado de um propósito justo pela tentação do ganho, permitindo que o mal iminente prossiga sem impedimento.
तक्षक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical warning: material inducement can cause even the capable and learned to abandon a duty that would prevent harm. It frames wealth as a test of dharma—whether one remains steadfast in a righteous intention or is turned aside by desire.
Takṣaka, the serpent, speaks to Kāśyapa and offers him wealth. Kāśyapa accepts as much as he wants and then turns back, withdrawing from whatever intervention he had intended—thereby leaving Takṣaka free to carry out his plan.