Shloka 17
Śāṇḍilī–Suparṇa Saṃvāda
Conduct, Intention, and Restoration
तेषां चैवापवर्गाय मार्ग पश्यामि नाण्डज | ततो<यं जीवितत्यागे दृष्टो मार्गो मया55त्मन:
teṣāṃ caivāpavargāya mārgaṃ paśyāmi nāṇḍaja | tato ’yaṃ jīvitatyāge dṛṣṭo mārgo mayātmanā ||
Wika ni Gālava: “O anak ng ibon, wala akong nakikitang paraan upang makuha ang mga kabayong iyon at matapos ang aking pananagutan. Kaya iisa lamang ang landas na nakita ko para sa sarili: isuko ang buhay.”
गालव उवाच
Educational Q&A
When no righteous means appears available to fulfill a grave obligation, the mind may turn toward extreme solutions; the verse highlights the ethical pressure of vows and debts, and the danger of letting despair define one’s dharmic choices.
Gālava, burdened by the task of procuring horses to complete his obligation, tells the addressed ‘Aṇḍaja’ that he sees no practical way to obtain them; concluding that the goal cannot be met, he resolves upon giving up his life as the only path he can see.