Shloka 28
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
लुब्धक उवाच हत्वा लाभ: श्रेय एवाव्यय: स्या- ल्लभ्यो लाभ्य: स्याद् बलिभ्य: प्रशस्त: । कालाल्लाभो यस्तु सत्यो भवेत श्रेयोलाभ: कुत्सिते5स्मिन्न ते स््थात्
lubdhaka uvāca | hatvā lābhaḥ śreya evāvyayaḥ syāl labhyo lābhyaḥ syād balibhyaḥ praśastaḥ | kālāl lābho yas tu satyo bhavet śreyolābhaḥ kutsite 'sminn te sthāt ||
猎人说道：“杀了它便是所得——是不朽之善——因为将惠及众人。以强力从强者处夺取利益，被称颂为最上之利。唯有由时（命运）所赐之利，才是真利。让这卑劣之蛇苟活，于你绝无善果。”
लुब्धक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The hunter argues that an action is justified if it produces broad welfare (killing the serpent benefits many), and he frames “true gain” as what aligns with inevitability (kāla) and practical advantage—though his reasoning also reveals a morally troubling praise of force and profit.
A hunter addresses a woman (“Devi,” implied by the Hindi gloss) and urges her to kill a serpent, claiming that sparing such a vile creature brings her no benefit, while killing it would secure an enduring good for many.