And know me further as one that has
never spoken disagreeably unto his preceptor, as one possessed of every
virtue indeed, as one that is sinless. I repeat the Vedas, I know their
prosody; indeed, I have studied all the Vedas letter by letter. I am not
a pigeon. Oh, do not yield me up to the hawk. The giving up of a learned
and pure Brahmana can never be a good gift." And after the pigeon said
so, the hawk addressed the king, and said, "Creatures do not come into
the world in the same particular order. In the order of creation, thou
mayst, in a former birth, have been begotten by this pigeon. It is not
proper for thee, O king, to interfere with my food by protecting this
pigeon (even though he might have been thy father)." And thus addressed,
the king said, "Hath any one, before this, seen birds thus speak the
pure speech of man? Knowing what this pigeon sayeth, and this hawk also,
how can we act to-day according to virtue? He that giveth up an
affrighted creature seeking protection, unto its foe, doth not obtain
protection when he is in need of it himself. Indeed, the very clouds do
not shower rain seasonably for him, and the seeds though scattered do
not grow for him. He that giveth up an afflicted creature seeking
protection unto its foe, hath to see his offspring die in childhood. The
ancestor of such a person can never dwell in heaven; indeed, the very
gods decline to accept the libations of clarified butter poured by him
into the fire.
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