Shloka 3
Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra
राजोवाच संत्रस्तरूपस्त्राणार्थी त्वत्तो भीतो महाद्विज । मत्सकाशमनुप्राप्त: प्राणगृध्नुर॒यं द्विज:
rājovāca saṁtrastarūpas trāṇārthī tvatto bhīto mahādvija | matsakāśam anuprāptaḥ prāṇagṛdhnuḥ ayaṁ dvijaḥ ||
بادشاہ نے کہا: “اے بزرگ دو بار جنمے! یہ کبوتر تم سے ڈر کر گھبرا گیا ہے اور جان بچانے کی آرزو میں میرے پاس پناہ لینے آیا ہے۔”
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler’s highest duty is to protect one who has sought refuge (abhaya). Even when pressured by a stronger claimant, abandoning a frightened suppliant violates rāja-dharma and the ethic of sheltering the vulnerable.
In the hawk-and-dove episode, the dove flees to the king for protection. The hawk demands its prey, but the king argues that refusing to surrender a creature seeking fearlessness is the supreme duty of a protector, challenging the hawk’s claim.