Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 2: Lord Brahmā Instructs Vālmīki
Text 1.2.14
ततः करुणवेदित्वादधर्मोऽयमिति द्विजः।
निशाम्य रुदतीं क्रौञ्चीमिदं वचनमब्रवीत्॥
tataḥ karuṇa-veditvād adharmo ’yam iti dvijaḥ
niśāmya rudatīṁ krauñcīm idaṁ vacanam abravīt
tataḥ = then; karuṇa-veditvāt = because she was thus the object of his compassion; adharmaḥ = the adhārmika; ayam iti = act of the hunter; dvijaḥ = the twice born sage; niśāmya = saw; rudatīm = the crying; krauñcīm = female krauñca bird; idam = the following; vacanam = words; abravīt = he uttered.
Then, the twice-born sage, saw the adhārmika act of the hunter and the crying female krauñca bird. Because she was thus the object of his compassion, he uttered the following words.
The twice-born sage was naturally filled with compassion. When he noticed the crying female krauñca bird, she became his object of compassion. The sage also knew that killing an animal at the time of its mating is adharma.