Shloka 68
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
Devanagari script
कीटपक्षिपतड्ानां तिरश्षामपि केशव
Transliteration
kīṭa-pakṣi-pataṅgānāṁ tiraścām api keśava
Translation
风神说道：“噢，克舍瓦啊，即便在昆虫、飞鸟与诸般能飞之类中——乃至在畜生之界的众生中——（道德之法亦在运行）。”
Word by Word
कीटof insects
कीट:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootकीट
FormMasculine, Genitive, Plural
पक्षिof birds
पक्षि:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootपक्षिन्
FormMasculine, Genitive, Plural
पतङ्गानाम्of flying creatures (moths/locusts etc.)
पतङ्गानाम्:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootपतङ्ग
FormMasculine, Genitive, Plural
तिरश्चाम्of animals (non-human beings)
तिरश्चाम्:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootतिरश्च्
FormMasculine, Genitive, Plural
अपिeven/also
अपि:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअपि
केशवO Keshava (Krishna)
केशव:
TypeNoun
Rootकेशव
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
Speaker
वायुदेव उवाच
Characters & Entities
व
वायुदेव (Vāyu)क
केशव (Keśava/Kṛṣṇa)क
कीट (insects)प
पक्षि (birds)प
पतङ्ग (winged creatures)त
तिरश्च (animals)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the universality of dharma and moral causality: ethical principles and the workings of order are not confined to humans but extend across all living beings, including animals and even small creatures.
Vāyu addresses Keśava (Kṛṣṇa), expanding the discussion to include non-human life—mentioning insects, birds, and animals—to emphasize that the topic under consideration (dharma/ethical order) applies broadly across creation.