Shloka 2

धर्मव्याधोपदेशः

Dharma-vyādha’s Instruction on Śiṣṭācāra and Dharma

Devanagari script

अग्नि: कपोतरूपेण तमभ्यधावदामिषार्थमिन्द्र: श्येनरूपेण,अग्निदेव कबूतरका रूप धारण करके मानो अपने प्राण बचानेके लिये राजाके पास भागते हुए गये और इन्द्रने बाज पक्षीका रूप धारण कर मांसके लिये उस कबूतरका पीछा किया

Transliteration

agniḥ kapotarūpeṇa tam abhyadhāvad āmiṣārtham | indraḥ śyenarūpeṇa ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya nói: Agni hóa thân thành chim bồ câu, lao vội đến trước mặt nhà vua để cầu được che chở; còn Indra biến thành chim ưng, đuổi theo con bồ câu ấy vì miếng thịt.

Word by Word

अग्निःAgni (fire-god)

कपोत-रूपेणin the form of a pigeon

तम्him

अभ्यधावत्ran towards

आमिष-अर्थम्for the sake of flesh/meat

इन्द्रःIndra

श्येन-रूपेणin the form of a hawk

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Agni

Indra

dove (kapota)

hawk/falcon (śyena)

meat/flesh (āmiṣa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse introduces a classic dharma-conflict: protecting one who seeks refuge versus responding to another’s claim (the pursuer’s demand for prey). It highlights the king’s obligation to uphold compassion and the duty of asylum, even when competing interests press for a different outcome.

What is happening in the narrative?

Agni and Indra disguise themselves—Agni as a dove fleeing for safety, Indra as a hawk chasing it for meat. They approach the king to provoke a moral decision, testing whether he will protect the vulnerable and how he will resolve the pursuer’s demand.