Shloka 24
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
लुब्धक उवाच जानाम्यहं देवि गुणागुणज्ञे सर्वार्तियुक्ता गुरवो भवन्ति । स्वस्थस्यैते तूपदेशा भवन्ति तस्मात क्षुद्रें सर्पमेनं हनिष्ये
lubdhaka uvāca | jānāmy ahaṃ devi guṇāguṇajñe sarvārtiyuktā guravo bhavanti | svasthasyaite tūpadeśā bhavanti tasmāt kṣudraṃ sarpam enaṃ haniṣye ||
O caçador disse: “Ó deusa, conhecedora do mérito e da falta, eu sei que os anciãos, ao verem qualquer criatura em aflição, também se afligem por compaixão. Contudo, tais conselhos são para quem está em paz; têm pouca força sobre um homem esmagado pelo sofrimento. Portanto, matarei com certeza esta serpente vil.”
लुब्धक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral tension: compassionate advice from elders is valuable, but a mind consumed by distress and anger often cannot receive it. It implicitly warns that ethical counsel requires inner steadiness, and that suffering can distort judgment toward violence.
A hunter addresses a देवी, acknowledging that elders naturally feel compassion for beings in pain and offer calming instruction. However, he claims such instruction suits only the comfortable, not someone suffering, and declares his intent to kill the serpent.