Shloka 4
शकुनि (हिरण्मय-पक्षी) उपदेशः — Vighasāśin and the Difficulty of Gārhasthya
तानाबभाषे भगवान् पक्षी भूत्वा हिरण्मय: । सुदुष्करं मनुष्यैश्व यत् कृतं विघसाशिभि:
tān ābabhāṣe bhagavān pakṣī bhūtvā hiraṇmayaḥ | suduṣkaraṃ manuṣyaiś ca yat kṛtaṃ vighasāśibhiḥ ||
Assumindo a forma de uma ave dourada e radiante, o Bem-aventurado dirigiu-se a eles: “O que foi realizado por aqueles homens nobres que vivem dos restos do sacrifício é extremamente difícil para as pessoas comuns. Sua conduta purifica e seu modo de vida é excelente; devotados ao dharma, cumpriram seus propósitos e alcançaram o curso mais elevado.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises disciplined, dharma-centered living: those who sustain themselves on what remains after sacrificial offering (vighasa) embody restraint and purity, and such conduct—hard for most people—leads to fulfilled aims and an elevated spiritual destiny.
A divine being appears in the striking guise of a radiant golden bird and addresses a group, commending the exceptional difficulty and sanctity of the practice followed by those who eat only sacrificial remnants, and affirming their successful attainment of a higher state.