Shloka 7
भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या
Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa
तथा मुमूर्षमासीनमकूजन्तमचेतसम् । इन्द्र: शूगालरूपेण बभाषे लुब्धभानसम्,उन्हें इस प्रकार मरनेकी इच्छा लेकर बैठे मूच्छसे अचेत हो कुछ न बोलते और मन- ही-मन धनके लिये ललचाते देखकर इन्द्रदेव सियारका रूप धारण करके आये और उनसे इस प्रकार कहने लगे--
tathā mumūrṣam āsīnam akūjantam acetasaṃ | indraḥ śūgālarūpeṇa babhāṣe lubdhabhānasam ||
Увидев его сидящим там, жаждущим смерти — в обмороке, без чувств и безмолвным, — но внутренне сжигаемым алчностью к богатству, Индра принял облик шакала и обратился к тому корыстному человеку.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how greed can persist even in extreme weakness and near-death states, and how such attachment clouds awareness. Indra’s disguised approach signals that dharma is tested precisely when the mind is vulnerable; ethical clarity requires overcoming covetousness and delusion.
Bhishma narrates a scene where a man sits faint and silent, desiring death yet mentally fixated on wealth. Observing this, Indra comes in the guise of a jackal and begins to speak to him, setting up a corrective dialogue or test.