Shloka 66
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
“जैसे-जैसे ही जीवन सुरक्षित रहे, उसे बिना अवहेलनाके करना चाहिये। मरनेसे जीवित रहना श्रेष्ठ है, क्योंकि जीवित पुरुष पुन: धर्मका आचरण कर सकता है ।।
yathā-yathā hi jīvanaṃ surakṣitaṃ bhavet, tad anavamānataḥ kartavyam | maraṇād jīvitaṃ śreyaḥ, yataḥ jīvan puruṣaḥ punaḥ dharmam ācarituṃ śaknoti || so 'haṃ jīvitam ākāṅkṣan abhakṣyasyāpi bhakṣaṇam | vyavasye buddhi-pūrvaṃ vai tad bhavān anumanyatām ||
«Пока жизнь можно сохранить в безопасности, её следует беречь, не пренебрегая ею. Жить лучше, чем умереть, ибо живой человек может вновь следовать дхарме. Потому, желая жить, я обдуманно решил съесть даже то, что обычно запрещено; одобри это.»
घपच उवाच
Educational Q&A
Preserving life is presented as a legitimate priority because continued life enables future practice of dharma; thus, in extremity, one may choose a normally prohibited act with conscious deliberation, aiming to return to righteous conduct later.
The speaker argues for safeguarding life and seeks approval for a decision made under necessity: to eat something classified as abhakṣya (forbidden), justifying it as a means to survive and thereby remain capable of practicing dharma again.