Shloka 5
Gautama–Śakra Saṃvāda: Karma, Loka-bheda, and the Restoration of the Elephant
त॑ं दृष्टयवा जीवयामास सानुक्रोशो धृतव्रत: । स तु दीर्घेण कालेन बभूवातिबलो महान्
taṁ dṛṣṭvā jīvayāmāsa sānukrośo dhṛtavrataḥ | sa tu dīrgheṇa kālena babhūvātibalo mahān ||
तं दृष्ट्वा सानुक्रोशो धृतव्रतः स जीवयामास। स तु दीर्घेण कालेन बभूवातिबलो महान्॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Compassion guided by steadfast discipline (dhṛtavrata) is presented as a dharmic force: preserving life is a moral act, and such mercy can enable a person’s future greatness to unfold over time.
A compassionate, vow-steadfast figure sees someone in a perilous state and revives him. Later, over a long period, the revived person becomes exceptionally strong and great, indicating the long-term consequences of a single merciful intervention.