अविवेकः परमापदं पदं
अस्ति उज्जन्यां माधवः नाम विप्रः। एकदा तस्या भार्या स्वबालापत्यस्य रक्षार्थं तम् अवस्थाप्य स्नातुं गता।
अथ
ब्राह्मणः राज्ञा
श्राद्धार्थं
निमन्त्रितः।
ब्राह्मणः सहजदारिद्र्यात्
अचिन्तयत् -
यदि
सत्वरं
न गच्छामि
तर्हि
अन्यः
कश्चित्
श्राद्धार्थं
वृतः
भवेत्।
आदानस्य प्रदानस्य कर्तव्यस्य च कर्मण:।
क्षिप्रमक्रियमाणस्य कालः पिबति तद्गसम्॥
किन्तु
बालस्य
अत्र
रक्षकः
नास्ति।
तत्
किं
करोमि? भवतु
चिरकालपालितम् इमम् पुत्रनिर्विशेष॑
नकुलम् बालरक्षायां
व्यवस्थाप्य
गच्छामि। तथा कृत्वा गत:। ततस्तेन
नकुलेन बालसमीपम्
उपसर्पन्
कृष्णसर्प:
दृष्ट:। स
तं
व्यापाद्य
खण्डशः
कृतवान् ।
अत्रान्तरे
ब्राह्मणो5पि
श्राद्धं गृहीत्वा
गृहम्
उपावृत्त: ।
ब्राह्मणं दृष्टवा नकुल: रक््त-विलिप्त-मुख-पाद:
तस्य चरणयो:
अलुठतू। विप्र: तथाविधं
तं दृष्टवा बालकोऽनेन खादित: इति अवधार्य कोपात् नकुलं व्यापादितवान्। अनन्तरं यावत् उपसृत्य अपत्यं
पश्यति तावद् बालकः
सुस्थः: सर्पश्च
व्यापादित: तिष्ठति। ततः
तम् उपकारकं नकुल
मृतं निरीक्ष्य आत्मानं
मुषितंमन्यमान: ब्राह्मण: परं विषादम् अगच्छत्। अत उच्यते-क्षिप्रमक्रियमाणस्य कालः पिबति तद्गसम्॥
सहसा विदधीत न क्रियामविवेकः परमापदां पदम्।
वृणते हि विमृश्यकारिणं गुणलुब्धा: स्वयमेव सम्पद:॥
वृणते हि विमृश्यकारिणं गुणलुब्धा: स्वयमेव सम्पद:॥
In Ujjaini, there was a Brahmin called Madhav. Once his wife arranged him to take care of his son and went to take bath.
Then this Brahmin got an invitation for ancestral ceremony(Shraddha) from the king. The poor brahmin thought "if I don't go immediately, then they may not call me in the future for Shradha".
Because when accepting or paying back or performing duty or one's karma, one has to do this quickly. If not, time will eat it up.
But there was no one to protect his son. So what should he do? He had a pet mongoose which he had taken care for a long time. So he arranged the mongoose to take care of his child and went to king's palace.
Then a snake came inside the house and was approaching the child. This was seen by the mongoose. The mongoose killed the snake and cut it into pieces.
Meanwhile, the brahmin came home having taken the dakshina. When the mongoose saw him, he rolled near his feet with its bloody face and body. Brahmin saw this and concluded that mongoose must have killed his child. With anger, he killed the mongoose.
But later when he went near the child, he saw the dead snake and realized that mongoose had killed the snake. He realized that he killed the mongoose who had helped him and became very sad.
