Shloka 20
Prajñā as Pratiṣṭhā — Indra–Kāśyapa Saṃvāda (Śānti-parva 12.173)
दस्यूनां दीयतामेष साध्वद्य पुरुषाधम:
dasyūnāṃ dīyatām eṣa sādhv adya puruṣādhamaḥ, na dātum arhasi tvaṃ no bhakṣaṇāyāsya kilviṣam |
Wika ni Bhishma: “Ibigay nawa ngayong araw ang hamak na taong ito sa mga dāsa/dasyu. Huwag mo kaming piliting kainin siya at sa gayon ay magkasala dahil sa paglamon sa kanyang laman.” Kaya’t ang lahat ng mga rākṣasa na gumagala sa gabi ay yumukod, idinampi ang ulo sa paanan ng hari ng mga rākṣasa, at nagsumamo.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even those portrayed as fierce (rākṣasas) recognize moral accountability: one should not be forced into an act that brings 'kilviṣa' (sin). The verse highlights ethical agency and the idea that wrongdoing contaminates the doer, so restraint and right allocation of punishment/food are framed as dharmic concerns.
A group of rākṣasas address their king, urging him to give the 'puruṣādhama' (vile man) to the dasyus instead, and to spare them the sinful act of eating him. They then bow at the king’s feet and make a collective supplication.