Shloka 56
Adhyaya 3 — The Dharmapakshis’ Past-Life Curse and Indra’s Test of Truthfulness
बिभ्यतां मरणात् तात त्वमस्माकं महामते ।
क्षन्तुमर्हसि दीनानां जीवितप्रियता हि नः ॥
bibhyatāṃ maraṇāt tāta tvam asmākaṃ mahāmate |
kṣantum arhasi dīnānāṃ jīvitapriyatā hi naḥ ||
वयं मृत्योर्भीताः, प्रिय! महात्मन्, दीनानस्मान् क्षन्तुमर्हसि; प्राणाः खलु अस्माकं प्रियाः॥
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FAQs
The verse frames a classic dharmic appeal: the weak confess their fear (especially fear of death) and request kṣamā (forbearance/forgiveness) from the powerful or wise. Ethically, it valorizes compassion toward the vulnerable and recognizes ‘attachment to life’ as a natural impulse that should be met with restraint rather than cruelty.
This verse is best classified under ancillary dharma/ākhyāna material rather than a direct Panchalakṣaṇa core (sarga, pratisarga, vaṃśa, manvantara, vaṃśānucarita). It supports the Purāṇic didactic function—ethical instruction embedded in narrative—often accompanying vaṃśānucarita/ākhyāna sections without itself being genealogical or cosmological.
Symbolically, ‘fear of death’ points to abhiniveśa (clinging to life), a deep-rooted existential fixation. The request for kṣamā suggests the inner discipline of the higher self (or dharmic authority) to temper punitive power with compassion, transforming instinctive survival-fear into humility and ethical recalibration.