Shloka 94
Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ
King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt
इषीकया मया बाल्याद् विद्धा होका शकुन्तिका । तत् किल्बिषं स्मरे धर्म नान्यत् पापमहं स्मरे
iṣīkayā mayā bālyād viddhā ho kā śakuntikā | tat kilbiṣaṃ smare dharma nānyat pāpam ahaṃ smare ||
اے دھرم راج! بچپن میں ایک بار بچگانہ غفلت سے میں نے ایک سرکنڈے سے ایک پرندے کے بچے کو چھید دیا تھا۔ وہی ایک گناہ مجھے یاد آتا ہے؛ اس کے سوا مجھے اپنے کسی اور پاپ کا کوئی خیال نہیں۔
दाश उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a seemingly small act of harm—especially against a helpless creature—can remain as moral residue in one’s conscience; dharma involves honest self-scrutiny and acknowledging wrongdoing, not merely claiming innocence.
Daśa addresses Dharma/Dharmarāja and admits that the only misdeed he can recall is a childhood act of piercing a young bird with a reed; he presents this as the sole possible cause for any present suffering or moral inquiry.