Shloka 23

Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving

Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum

Devanagari script

गुप्त शरणमाश्रित्य भयेषु शरणागता: । अकस्मात्‌ ते मया त्यक्ता न त्राता अभयैषिण:

Transliteration

gupta-śaraṇam āśritya bhayeṣu śaraṇāgatāḥ | akasmāt te mayā tyaktā na trātā abhayaiṣiṇaḥ ||

Translation

خوف کے وقت بے خوفی کی طلب میں بہت سے پناہ گزیں میرے پاس آتے تھے۔ میں انہیں پوشیدہ محفوظ ٹھکانے تک پہنچا کر بھی اچانک وہاں سے نکال دیتا؛ میں پناہ مانگنے والوں کی حفاظت نہ کرتا تھا۔

Word by Word

• गुप्तम्: protected, secure
• गुप्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुप्त (ppp of √गुप्)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• शरणम्: refuge, shelter
• शरणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरण
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आश्रित्य: having resorted to
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रि (आ-श्रि)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund), having resorted to

• भयेषु: in fears, in dangers
• भयेषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Plural

• शरणागताः: those who have come for refuge
• शरणागताः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरणागत (ppp of √गम् with शरण-)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अकस्मात्: suddenly, unexpectedly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अकस्मात्

• ते: they
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Instrumental, Singular

• त्यक्ताः: abandoned, forsaken
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यक्त (ppp of √त्यज्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, क्त (past passive participle)

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• त्राताः: saved, protected
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रातृ (agent noun from √त्रा) / or त्रात (ppp of √त्रा)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural, contextually 'protected/saved' fits; form can be read as ppp 'त्राताः' = 'saved'

• अभयैषिणः: seekers of fearlessness/safety
• अभयैषिणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभयैषिन् (from अभय + √इष् 'to desire')
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

कीट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• kīṭa (the insect; speaker)
• śaraṇāgatāḥ (refuge-seekers/suppliants)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

One who accepts others as śaraṇāgata (refuge-seekers) incurs a dharmic duty to protect them; abandoning them after offering shelter is a grave ethical failure and a betrayal of trust.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker (the kīṭa) confesses a past wrongdoing: people seeking safety in fearful times came to him for refuge, but he suddenly cast them out and did not act as their protector.