Shloka 34
कृतध्न: पुरुषव्याप्र मनसेदमचिन्तयत् । अयं बकपति: पाश्चे मांसराशि: स्थितो महान्
bhīṣma uvāca | kṛtadhnaḥ puruṣavyāghra manasedam acintayat | ayaṃ bakapatiḥ pārśve māṃsarāśiḥ sthito mahān |
பீஷ்மர் கூறினார்—“மனிதர்களில் புலியே! அந்த நன்றிகெட்டவன் மனத்துள் இவ்வாறு எண்ணினான்—‘கொக்குகளின் அரசன் என் அருகிலேயே இருக்கிறான்; அவன் மாமிசத்தின் பெரும் குவியல்.’”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns kṛtaghnatā (ingratitude): when a person becomes ruled by hunger, fear, or selfish calculation, he may rationalize harming even a benefactor. Dharma requires gratitude and restraint; adharma begins when one treats a living being—especially one who has helped—as merely a ‘heap of meat’ to be exploited.
Bhishma narrates how an ‘ungrateful man,’ finding no food on the road and anxious to preserve his life, notices the king of herons nearby and mentally reduces him to a large supply of meat. He plans to kill the bird, take it as food, and leave quickly—showing a turn toward betrayal and violence driven by expediency.