Shloka 8

Adhyaya 2 — The Wise Birds

Sanskrit

कङ्क उवाच साधारणोऽयं शैलेन्द्रो यथा तव तथा मम । अन्येषां चैव जन्तूनां ममता भवतोऽत्र का ॥

Transliteration

kaṅka uvāca sādhāraṇo 'yaṃ śailendro yathā tava tathā mama / anyeṣāṃ caiva jantūnāṃ mamatā bhavato 'tra kā

Translation

Канка сказал: «Эта владычная гора — общая; она принадлежит тебе не более, чем мне, и, воистину, также и другим существам. Так какое же право присвоения ты можешь здесь предъявлять?»

Word by Word

कङ्कःKaṅka

उवाचsaid

साधारणःcommon, shared

अयम्this

शैल-इन्द्रःthe lord of mountains (mountain-king)

यथाas

तवof you, your

तथाso, likewise

ममof me, my

अन्येषाम्of others

चand

एवindeed, also

जन्तूनाम्of creatures, beings

ममताpossessiveness, sense of ‘mine’

भवतःof you (honorific)

अत्रhere

काwhat? (which?)

Speakers

Kaṅka (one of the wise birds) addressing the human interlocutor within the frame dialogue

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "dharma", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

DharmaVairāgya (detachment)Aparigraha (non-possessiveness)Ethics of ownershipShared commons of nature

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse challenges ‘mamatā’ (the sense of “mine”) by pointing out that natural supports like mountains are not privately owned; they sustain many beings. Ethically, it promotes restraint, humility, and a dharmic view of shared resources rather than possessive appropriation.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

This verse is primarily didactic/ethical instruction within the Purāṇic dialogue framework rather than a direct treatment of the five marks (sarga, pratisarga, vaṃśa, manvantara, vaṃśānucarita). It aligns most closely with vaṃśānucarita only indirectly as part of the narrative discourse, but functionally it is a dharma-upadeśa (ethical teaching).

What is the esoteric significance?

The ‘mountain’ can symbolize the stable ground of existence (prakṛti / the world-order) that no individual truly possesses. The bird’s perspective functions as a corrective to egoic appropriation: when the self is seen as a participant in a wider web of beings, grasping relaxes and discernment (viveka) increases.