Shloka 23
कालनिर्णयः, युगधर्मवर्णनम्, सृष्टिक्रमश्च
Time-Reckoning, Yuga-Dharma, and the Sequence of Creation
तुषभक्षं तु मां ज्ञात्वा प्रविविक्तजने गृहे बिभ्रतं गार्दभं रूपमागत्य परिगर्हसे,इस एकान्त गृहमें गर्दभका रूप धारण किये मुझे भूसी खाता जानकर तुम यहाँ आये हो और मेरी निन्दा करते हो
tuṣabhakṣaṁ tu māṁ jñātvā praviviktajane gṛhe | bibhrataṁ gārdabhaṁ rūpam āgatya parigarhase ||
Yamang alam mong ako’y kumakain lamang ng ipa, naninirahan sa isang liblib na bahay na malayo sa mga tao, at nagdadala ng anyo ng isang asno, pumarito ka at ngayo’y nilalait mo ako.
श॒क्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not judge or disparage someone based on external form, poverty, or an assumed lowly lifestyle; ethical speech requires restraint and discernment, since higher truth or purpose may be hidden beneath humble appearances.
Śakra (Indra) speaks in reproach: he says the other person has recognized him as living in seclusion, eating chaff, and assuming a donkey’s form, and yet has come and insulted him—highlighting the impropriety of contempt and the possibility of divine or moral testing through disguise.