Shloka 190
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
तदेतद् धर्मतत्त्वज्ञ न त्वं शंकितुमहसि । अत: धर्मके तत्त्वको जाननेवाले पलित! तुम्हें मुझपर संदेह नहीं करना चाहिये ।। १८९ इ || इति संस्तूयमानो5पि माजरिण स मूषिक:
lomasa uvāca | tad etad dharmatattvajña na tvaṁ śaṅkitum arhasi | ataḥ dharmake tattvako jānanevāle palita! tvaṁ me mayi saṁdehaṁ na kartum arhasi || 189 || iti saṁstūyamāno 'pi mārjāriṇā sa mūṣikaḥ |
तदेतद् धर्मतत्त्वज्ञ न त्वं शङ्कितुमर्हसि। अतः पलित धर्मज्ञ मयि मा संशयं कृथाः॥ संस्तूयमानोऽपि तदा मार्जारिणा स मूषिकः॥
लोमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights ethical discernment: even when someone speaks in the language of dharma and seeks trust, one should not abandon prudent judgment. True dharma-knowledge includes knowing when confidence is warranted and when caution is necessary.
Lomaśa narrates a didactic episode in which a speaker urges a venerable, dharma-knowing person not to doubt him; yet the story immediately notes that the mouse, despite being praised by the cat, remains cautious—signaling the tension between persuasive words and underlying intent.