Shloka 24
Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra
यदा सम॑ कपोतेन तव मांसं नृपोत्तम | तदा देयं तु तन्महां सा मे तुष्टिर्भविष्यति
yadā samaṁ kapotena tava māṁsaṁ nṛpottama | tadā deyaṁ tu tan mahyaṁ sā me tuṣṭir bhaviṣyati ||
Chim ưng nói: “Hỡi bậc vương giả tối thượng, khi phần thịt ngài dâng lên cân bằng đúng trọng lượng con bồ câu, thì hãy trao phần ấy cho ta. Chỉ thế thôi mới làm ta thỏa mãn.”
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is tested where duties collide: protecting a refugee (the pigeon) must be upheld without unjustly denying another being’s rightful claim (the hawk’s hunger). The verse emphasizes fairness through equivalence and the king’s willingness to bear personal cost to uphold protection.
A pigeon has taken refuge with the king, pursued by a hawk. The hawk demands its prey; the king offers his own flesh instead. Here the hawk sets the condition: the king must give flesh equal in weight to the pigeon, establishing a strict measure for the exchange.