Shloka 17
Janamejaya’s Appeal for Pacification and Śaunaka’s Counsel on Humility (जनमेजय-शौनक संवादः)
इत्युक्त्वा तं तदा तत्र विवर्णवदनो5भवत्,ऐसा कहकर कबूतरका मुख कुछ उदास हो गया। वह इस चिन्तामें पड़ गया कि अब मुझे क्या करना चाहिये? भरतश्रेष्ठ वह अपनी कापोती वृत्तिकी निन््दा करने लगा
ity uktvā taṃ tadā tatra vivarṇa-vadano ’bhavat
毗湿摩说道：他当场对那人说罢，鸽子的面容便变得苍白而黯然。它陷入焦灼的思虑——“如今我该怎么办？”——噢，婆罗多族中最卓越者，它开始责难自身的行止，以鸽之身而自责其所为。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical self-scrutiny: when confronted with a difficult choice, one should examine one’s own dharma and conduct honestly, even to the point of self-critique, before acting.
After speaking to someone present there, the pigeon becomes visibly distressed and starts worrying about what to do next; he then begins to blame his own ‘pigeon-like’ way of conduct, indicating an inner moral conflict.