Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 10
Dāna-Śreṣṭhatā: On the Superiority of Giving
Maitreya–Vyāsa Exemplum
कीट उवाच शकटस्यास्य महतो घोष॑ं श्रुत्वा भयं मम । आगतं वै महाबुद्धे वन एष हि दारुण:
kīṭa uvāca: śakaṭasyāsya mahato ghoṣaṁ śrutvā bhayaṁ mama | āgataṁ vai mahābuddhe vane eṣa hi dāruṇaḥ ||
小虫说道：“大智者啊！我听见这辆大车隆隆作响，恐惧便袭上心头。在这森林里，它的到来确实可怖。”
कीट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear arises from perception and sound—especially for the small and vulnerable—and invites ethical reflection on compassion toward weaker beings who experience great terror from the movements of the powerful.
An insect speaks to a wise interlocutor, saying that the loud noise of a large cart has frightened it, and that something dreadful has entered the forest—setting a tone of alarm and vulnerability within the episode.