Shloka 24
धर्मव्याधोपदेशः
Dharma-vyādha’s Instruction on Śiṣṭācāra and Dharma
कपोतं विद्यु: शिबयस्त्वां कपोत पृच्छामि ते शकुने को नु श्येन: । नानीश्वर ईदृशं जातु कुर्या- देतं प्रश्न भगवन् मे विचक्ष्व,“कपोत! ये शिबिलोग तो तुम्हें कबूतर ही समझते थे। पक्षिप्रवर! मैं तुमसे पूछता हूँ, बताओ, यह बाज कौन था? ईश्वरके सिवा दूसरा कोई कभी ऐसा चमत्कारपूर्ण कार्य नहीं कर सकता। भगवन! मेरे इस प्रश्नका यथावत् उत्तर दो”
kapotaṁ vidyuḥ śibayas tvāṁ kapota pṛcchāmi te śakune ko nu śyenaḥ | nānīśvara īdṛśaṁ jātu kuryād etaṁ praśnaṁ bhagavan me vicakṣva ||
“Ó Pomba, o povo da terra de Śibi te tomou por uma pomba verdadeira. Ó melhor das aves, eu te pergunto: quem era, então, aquele falcão? Ninguém senão o Senhor poderia realizar feito tão maravilhoso. Ó venerável, esclarece-me esta questão tal como ela é.”
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment in dharma: extraordinary moral tests and seemingly impossible acts of protection are framed as divine orchestration, prompting the listener to look beyond appearances and seek the deeper ethical purpose behind events.
The speaker addresses the pigeon and asks who the hawk truly was, reasoning that such a miraculous, morally charged episode could not be the work of an ordinary being; he requests a clear explanation, implying the hawk’s identity is divine or divinely directed.