Shloka 8
Go-apahāra (Cattle Theft), Go-dāna (Cow-Gift), and Suvarṇa-dakṣiṇā (Gold Fee): Karmic Consequence and Purificatory Merit
यह सुनकर भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण उस कुएँके पास गये। उन्होंने उस गिरगिटको कुएँसे बाहर निकाला और अपने पावन हाथके स्पर्शसे राजा नृगका उद्धार कर दिया। इसके बाद उनसे परिचय पूछा। तब राजाने उन्हें अपना परिचय देते हुए कहा--'प्रभो! पूर्वजन्ममें मैं राजा नृग था, जिसने एक सहस्र यज्ञोंका अनुष्ठान किया था” ।।
tathā bruvāṇaṃ tu tam āha mādhavaḥ | śubhaṃ tvayā karma kṛtaṃ na pāpakam | kathaṃ bhavān durgatim īdṛśīṃ gato narendra tad brūhi kim etad īdṛśam ||
听罢此言，圣克里希那来到井边，将那蜥蜴从井中救出，并以自己清净圣手的触碰，使尼伽王得以解脱。随后他问其来历；国王自陈道：“主啊！前世我乃尼伽王，曾举行一千次祭祀（yajña）。”王如此言时，摩陀婆（克里希那）对他说：“你所行皆为吉业，并非罪行。既如此，噢人中王者，你怎会堕入这般困厄？告诉我——这奇异命运的缘由是什么？”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a life of generally meritorious action can be shadowed by a specific fault or unresolved ethical breach; dharma requires careful attention to particulars (especially harm done to others), and one must inquire into causes rather than assume that ‘good deeds’ automatically prevent suffering.
After the king (formerly Nṛga) identifies himself and his past merits, Kṛṣṇa (Mādhava) responds with a pointed question: since the king’s actions were auspicious, how did he come to such a degraded condition? Kṛṣṇa invites him to explain the precise cause behind his misfortune.