Shloka 32

मधुकैटभवधोपाख्यानम्

The Account of the Slaying of Madhu and Kaiṭabha

Devanagari script

यो दत्त्वातिथिभूतेभ्य: पितृभ्यश्न द्विजोत्तम:

Transliteration

yo dattvātithibhūtebhyaḥ pitṛbhyaśna dvijottamaḥ

Translation

قال باكا: «ذلك الأسمى من ذوي الولادتين، الذي بعدما أعطى حقَّه للضيوف، وللكائنات الحيّة، وللآباء الأسلاف (الپِتْرِ)، تناول طعامه…»

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दत्त्वा: having given
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (दाने)
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• अतिथिभ्यः: to guests
• अतिथिभ्यः: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Plural

• भूतेभ्यः: to beings/creatures
• भूतेभ्यः: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत
• Form: Neuter, Dative, Plural

• पितृभ्यः: to the ancestors (manes)
• पितृभ्यः: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Plural

• अश्नन्: eating
• Type: Verb
• Root: अश् (भक्षणे)
• Form: Present, Participle (Present Active), Parasmaipada, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• द्विजोत्तमः: the best of the twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विजोत्तमः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

बक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• बक (Baka)
• अतिथि (guest)
• भूत (living beings)
• पितृ (ancestors/pitṛs)
• द्विजोत्तम (best of the twice-born)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Before eating, a righteous householder—especially a brāhmaṇa—should first offer food and care to guests, other living beings, and the ancestors. Personal consumption is ethically framed as secondary to one’s obligations of hospitality, compassion, and ritual duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Baka is speaking and begins a normative statement about proper conduct: the ‘best of the twice-born’ is described as one who first gives offerings to guests, creatures, and the pitṛs, and only then eats. The verse functions as a dharma-teaching within the Vana Parva discourse.