The Nyaya in this edition is a keen observation on human traits and thus, goes beyond territorial and linguistic limits. उष्ट्रकण्टक भक्षण न्याय through the example of camel eating thorns explains a much deeper human behaviour. Camels like to eat barks of thorny plants. Even though the thorns hurt and bleed, camels still nourish the barks. A man, in the same desert, cannot eat that plant since the thorns inhibit from enjoying the plant.
Adi Shankaracharya uses this maxim in his Brahmasutrabhashya [2.2.1] combating at length to destroy the Sankhya theory and establish that objects are in themselves not प्रिय or अप्रिय – agreeable or disagreeable. Vachaspati Mishra (900-980 AD) explains the same passage in Bhamati pointing out that things are not in themselves essentially pleasant or unpleasant and that what causes pleasure to one may be painful to another and that even the same thing, which at one time is agreeable may at another time be the reverse. Otherwise, thorns would be as acceptable to men as they are to a camel.
There is a subhashita as follows:
न रम्यं नारम्यं प्रकृतिगुणतो वस्तु किमपि
प्रियत्वं यत्र स्यादितरदपि तद्ग्राहकवशात्।
रथाङ्गाह्वानानां भवति विधुरङ्गारशकटी
पटीराम्भःकुम्भः स भवति चकोरीनयनयोः॥
“Any object or a thing is not categorized as delightful or not delightful depending on its inherent properties but the affinity towards it or dislike for it, basically depends on the person who deals with it. The Moon appears as a carriage of burning coal to a male Chakrawaka bird (who is believed to be getting separated from its beloved at night), while the very same Moon is conceived as a pot full of cool sandalwood- water in the eyes of a Chakora bird (who is said to feed itself on rays of the Moon).”
Thus, liking and/or dislike is not based on the qualities of the object but are dependent on user.
A camel eats thorns because it has evolved to like them. Camels have a hard, wavy palate with wide molar and premolar teeth. The outer layer of the buccal epithelium is stratified and gets keratinized to provide toughness to the palate. The mouth of a camel is evolved to eat thorny acacia in deserts. These acacias are the only plants that can thrive in deserts. The camel loves to eat thorny bushes. The more it eats the thorns, the more the blood gushes from its mouth. Still, it must eat the thorny plant and will never give up. The man of worldly nature suffers so much sorrow and affliction but he forgets it all in a few days and begins his old life all over again.
Man gets carried away with विषय सुख from various bhogas that he forgets that he has not enjoyed bhoga but bhogas have enjoyed the man. ‘भोगा न भुक्ता वयमेव भुक्ता’ is what King Bhartrhari says in Nitishatakam. It is essential for everyone to understand the deeper message that every object of consumption for pleasure in this world by itself is not pleasant or unpleasant and the limits must be set on consumption of each object. The life ends but pleasures do not end leading to another birth.
Every human being likes to copy and children are more tempted to copy everything that is different and new to them. However, at times, it extends beyond limits leading to forgetting one’s own identity. Today, Sanatana Dharma is being compromised and rituals from other cultures, religions are being adopted to an extent that the coming generation slowly has started forgetting their own dharma. This addiction has overpowered us to such an extent that even if one tries to remove the shackles, it is almost becoming impossible. Duryodhana says,
“जानामि धर्मं न च मे प्रवृत्तिः
जानाम्यधर्मं न च मे निवृत्तिः|”
‘I know what is right but I cannot follow it and I know what is not right but I am not able to give it up.’
उष्ट्रकण्टक भक्षण न्याय has a message that camels like thorny bushes even if they cause harm and they are unable to give up but man has been given the gift of intellect with ability to discriminate between what is right and wrong. It is every man’s prime duty to protect dharma because धर्मो रक्षति रक्षित: – ‘Dharma protects one who follows it.’