Shloka 9

Adhyāya 179 — Bharadvāja’s Reductionist Inquiry into Jīva and Pañcabhūta Dissolution

Devanagari script

सामिषं कुररं दृष्टवा वध्यमानं निरामिषै: । आमिषस्य परित्यागात्‌ कुरर: सुखमेधते

Transliteration

sāmiṣaṃ kuraraṃ dṛṣṭvā vadhyamānaṃ nirāmiṣaiḥ | āmiṣasya parityāgāt kuraraḥ sukham edhate ||

Translation

毗湿摩说：见一只库拉拉鸟衔着肉块飞行，那些没有肉的群鸟便群起攻之。待它弃下那块肉，众鸟便不再追逐。由此可知，舍离感官享乐之饵，库拉拉便得安泰，欢喜而兴盛——因此它以劝人离欲之义，成了“导师”。

Word by Word

• सामिषम्: having meat; with flesh (as object seen)
• सामिषम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सामिष
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कुररम्: the kurara-bird (osprey/sea-eagle)
• कुररम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral), Non-finite

• वध्यमानम्: being killed/attacked
• Type: Verb
• Root: वध्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular, शानच् (present passive participle), Passive

• निरामिषैः: by those without meat (i.e., without a flesh-piece)
• निरामिषैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निरामिष
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• आमिषस्य: of the meat; of the bait/flesh
• Type: Noun
• Root: आमिष
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• परित्यागात्: from/through the abandonment (renunciation)
• परित्यागात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: परित्याग
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• कुररः: the kurara-bird
• कुररः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सुखम्: happiness; ease
• सुखम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• एधते: thrives; prospers; grows
• Type: Verb
• Root: एध्
• Form: Present, Indicative, Atmanepada, Third, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• kurara (bird)
• āmiṣa (morsel of meat)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Attachment to tempting possessions (āmiṣa, ‘bait’) invites conflict and suffering; relinquishing the object of craving removes the cause of harassment and brings peace—an ethical lesson in vairāgya (detachment).

What is happening in the narrative?

A kurara bird flying with a piece of meat is attacked by other birds; when it drops the meat, the attackers stop, and the bird becomes safe and content—serving as an illustrative ‘guru’ for renouncing enjoyments.