Shloka 34
Ajagara-vrata (The ‘Python’ Discipline): Prahrāda Questions a Wandering Sage
कृतध्न: पुरुषव्याप्र मनसेदमचिन्तयत् । अयं बकपति: पाश्चे मांसराशि: स्थितो महान्
bhīṣma uvāca | kṛtadhnaḥ puruṣavyāghra manasedam acintayat | ayaṃ bakapatiḥ pārśve māṃsarāśiḥ sthito mahān |
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “O tigre sa mga tao, nag-isip sa kanyang puso ang walang utang-na-loob: ‘Narito sa tabi ko ang haring tagak—parang isang malaking bunton ng laman. Anong paraan ang gagawin ko upang manatiling buhay? Papatayin ko siya, kukunin bilang pagkain, at agad na aalis sa pook na ito.’ At dahil wala siyang nakitang ibang pagkain sa daan, nalubog siya sa gayong makasariling pag-iisip.”
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.