Shloka 56
Adhyaya 3 — The Dharmapakshis’ Past-Life Curse and Indra’s Test of Truthfulness
बिभ्यतां मरणात् तात त्वमस्माकं महामते ।
क्षन्तुमर्हसि दीनानां जीवितप्रियता हि नः ॥
bibhyatāṃ maraṇāt tāta tvam asmākaṃ mahāmate |
kṣantum arhasi dīnānāṃ jīvitapriyatā hi naḥ ||
“Bạch người đáng kính, chúng con sợ cái chết. Ôi bậc đại tâm, xin hãy tha thứ cho chúng con là kẻ khốn cùng, vì mạng sống quả thật là điều chúng con yêu quý.”
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FAQs
The verse frames a classic dharmic appeal: the weak confess their fear (especially fear of death) and request kṣamā (forbearance/forgiveness) from the powerful or wise. Ethically, it valorizes compassion toward the vulnerable and recognizes ‘attachment to life’ as a natural impulse that should be met with restraint rather than cruelty.
This verse is best classified under ancillary dharma/ākhyāna material rather than a direct Panchalakṣaṇa core (sarga, pratisarga, vaṃśa, manvantara, vaṃśānucarita). It supports the Purāṇic didactic function—ethical instruction embedded in narrative—often accompanying vaṃśānucarita/ākhyāna sections without itself being genealogical or cosmological.
Symbolically, ‘fear of death’ points to abhiniveśa (clinging to life), a deep-rooted existential fixation. The request for kṣamā suggests the inner discipline of the higher self (or dharmic authority) to temper punitive power with compassion, transforming instinctive survival-fear into humility and ethical recalibration.