Shloka 8
Go-apahāra (Cattle Theft), Go-dāna (Cow-Gift), and Suvarṇa-dakṣiṇā (Gold Fee): Karmic Consequence and Purificatory Merit
यह सुनकर भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण उस कुएँके पास गये। उन्होंने उस गिरगिटको कुएँसे बाहर निकाला और अपने पावन हाथके स्पर्शसे राजा नृगका उद्धार कर दिया। इसके बाद उनसे परिचय पूछा। तब राजाने उन्हें अपना परिचय देते हुए कहा--'प्रभो! पूर्वजन्ममें मैं राजा नृग था, जिसने एक सहस्र यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान किया था” ।। तथा ब्रुवाणं तु तमाह माधव: शुभं त्वया कर्म कृतं न पापकम् । कथं भवान् दुर्गतिमीदृशीं गतो नरेन्द्र तद् ब्रूहि किमेतदीदूशम्,उनकी ऐसी बात सुनकर भगवान् श्रीकृष्णने पूछा--“राजन्! आपने तो सदा पुण्यकर्म ही किया था, पापकर्म कभी नहीं किया, फिर आप ऐसी दुर्गतिमें कैसे पड़ गये? बताइये, क्यों आपको यह ऐसा वष्ट प्राप्त हुआ?
tathā bruvāṇaṃ tu tam āha mādhavaḥ | śubhaṃ tvayā karma kṛtaṃ na pāpakam | kathaṃ bhavān durgatim īdṛśīṃ gato narendra tad brūhi kim etad īdṛśam ||
Ao ouvir isso, Śrī Kṛṣṇa foi ao poço. Retirou o lagarto de dentro e, pelo toque de sua mão sagrada, libertou o rei Nṛga. Depois perguntou-lhe quem era; e o rei disse: “Senhor! Em vida passada eu fui o rei Nṛga, que realizou mil yajñas.” Enquanto o rei falava, Mādhava (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) lhe disse: “Tu praticaste obras auspiciosas, não pecaminosas. Como então, ó senhor dos homens, caíste em tamanha miséria? Dize-me: qual é a causa desse destino estranho?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a life of generally meritorious action can be shadowed by a specific fault or unresolved ethical breach; dharma requires careful attention to particulars (especially harm done to others), and one must inquire into causes rather than assume that ‘good deeds’ automatically prevent suffering.
After the king (formerly Nṛga) identifies himself and his past merits, Kṛṣṇa (Mādhava) responds with a pointed question: since the king’s actions were auspicious, how did he come to such a degraded condition? Kṛṣṇa invites him to explain the precise cause behind his misfortune.