Shloka 25
Aṣṭāvakra–Kahoda Upākhyāna: Śvetaketu’s Āśrama, Sarasvatī, and the Origin of Aṣṭāvakra
शरीरका मांस काटकर देना है हे कु * £ राजा अनुग्रहमिमं मन्ये श्येन यन्माभियाचसे । तस्मात् तेड्द्य प्रदास्यामि स्वमांसं तुलया धृतम्
śyena uvāca | anugraham imaṁ manye śyena yan mām abhiyācase | tasmāt te ’dya pradāsyāmi sva-māṁsaṁ tulayā dhṛtam |
Vua nói: “Hỡi Śyena, việc ngươi đòi thịt từ thân trẫm, trẫm xem đó như một ân huệ lớn đối với trẫm. Vậy hôm nay, trẫm sẽ đem chính thịt mình đặt lên cân và trao cho ngươi.”
श्येन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma may demand personal loss: the righteous person seeks a fair resolution that protects the vulnerable while also acknowledging the legitimate claim of the other party, even if it requires self-sacrifice.
In the well-known hawk-and-dove ethical test, the speaker offers to cut and give his own flesh, weighed on a balance, to satisfy the hawk’s demand—attempting to save the pursued creature without denying the predator’s need.