Shloka 34
Ajagara-vrata (The ‘Python’ Discipline): Prahrāda Questions a Wandering Sage
कृतध्न: पुरुषव्याप्र मनसेदमचिन्तयत् । अयं बकपति: पाश्चे मांसराशि: स्थितो महान्
bhīṣma uvāca | kṛtadhnaḥ puruṣavyāghra manasedam acintayat | ayaṃ bakapatiḥ pārśve māṃsarāśiḥ sthito mahān |
毗湿摩说道：“人中之虎啊，那忘恩负义之人心中盘算：‘这苍鹭之王就在我身旁，宛如一大堆肉。我当用何策以保全性命？我将杀了他，取之为食，并迅速离开此处。’他见路上别无食物，便沉溺于这般自私的念头之中。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns kṛtaghnatā (ingratitude): when a person becomes ruled by hunger, fear, or selfish calculation, he may rationalize harming even a benefactor. Dharma requires gratitude and restraint; adharma begins when one treats a living being—especially one who has helped—as merely a ‘heap of meat’ to be exploited.
Bhishma narrates how an ‘ungrateful man,’ finding no food on the road and anxious to preserve his life, notices the king of herons nearby and mentally reduces him to a large supply of meat. He plans to kill the bird, take it as food, and leave quickly—showing a turn toward betrayal and violence driven by expediency.