Shloka 89
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
इमं क्षितितले त्यक्त्वा बाल॑ रूपसमन्वितम्
imaṃ kṣititale tyaktvā bāla-rūpa-samanvitam | yaḥ sundaraḥ bālakaḥ tumhāre kulakī śobhā baḍhāne-vālā hai | ayaṃ rūpa-yauvanena sampannaḥ tathā svayā kāntyā prakāśitaḥ | mūrkhāḥ! asya putrasya pṛthivyāṃ nikṣepya yūyaṃ kva gamiṣyatha?
Jambuka disse: “Tendo lançado esta criança—dotada da forma de um menino—ao chão, para onde pensais que ireis? Este belo menino aumentará a glória de vossa linhagem. Possui beleza e juventude, e resplandece com a própria luz. Ó tolos! Depois de atirar este filho à terra, que refúgio ou destino podeis ainda reivindicar?”
जम्बुक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns abandoning a helpless child and frames such an act as a grave ethical failure. It emphasizes dharma as protection of the vulnerable and warns that those who commit cruelty cannot claim a righteous destination or refuge.
Jambuka rebukes people who have thrown a radiant, promising boy onto the ground. He highlights the child’s beauty and potential to bring honor to the family, and challenges the perpetrators by asking where they expect to go after committing such a heartless act.