Shloka 26
Ānṛśaṃsya–Bhakti: Śukaḥ Śakreṇa Parīkṣitaḥ
Compassion and Devotion—The Parrot Tested by Indra
नाहसे मां सहस्राक्ष ट्रुमं त्याजयितुं चिरात् समर्थमुपजीव्येमं त्यजेयं कथमद्य वै
nāhase māṃ sahasrākṣa drumam tyājayituṃ cirāt samartham upajīvyemaṃ tyajeyaṃ katham adya vai
Бхишма сказал: «О Сахасракша (Индра), не старайся оторвать от меня это дерево. Долгое время, пока оно было крепким, я поддерживал жизнь, укрываясь под его защитой; как же мне оставить его теперь, когда оно обессилело?»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not abandon a benefactor or support-system when it becomes weak; dharma includes gratitude and steadfast loyalty, especially toward those who once sustained us.
Bhīṣma addresses Indra (Sahasrākṣa), asking him not to try to separate him from a tree. Bhīṣma argues that since he long depended on it when it was strong, it would be unethical to leave it now that it is powerless.