Shloka 12
Rukmāṅgada–Vāmadeva Saṃvāda: Ahimsa, Hunting, and the Fruit of Dvādaśī-Bhakti
तस्माद्दुष्टं हि तन्मन्ये यत्र मृगपातनम् । दया वरा मृगेराज्ञां धर्मिणामपि दृश्यते ॥ १२ ॥
tasmādduṣṭaṃ hi tanmanye yatra mṛgapātanam | dayā varā mṛgerājñāṃ dharmiṇāmapi dṛśyate || 12 ||
Потому я считаю то место поистине злым — где убивают оленей; ибо даже среди царей зверей видна более благородная сострадательность, и она встречается даже у тех, кто именует себя праведным по дхарме.
Narada (contextual moral instruction within Uttara-Bhaga narratives)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: raudra
FAQs
It elevates ahiṃsā (non-violence) as a core mark of dharma, condemning hunting as spiritually degrading and highlighting compassion as a higher virtue than mere social claims of righteousness.
Bhakti in the Purāṇic sense is inseparable from dayā; devotion to Viṣṇu is supported by compassionate conduct, so cruelty like hunting contradicts the devotional temperament even in a sacred (tīrtha) setting.
No specific Vedāṅga technique is taught in this line; the practical takeaway is dharma-śikṣā (ethical discipline) aligned with Purāṇic injunctions—cultivating dayā and avoiding हिंसा as part of sādhana and tīrtha observance.