Shloka 12

Ruru–Ḍuṇḍubha Saṃvāda: Śāpa, Mokṣa, and Ahiṃsā-Upadeśa

Chapter 11

Devanagari script

स डौण्डुभं परित्यज्य रूपं विप्रर्षभस्तदा । स्वरूपं भास्वरं भूय: प्रतिपेदे महायशा:,इतना कहकर महायशस्वी विप्रवर सहस्रपादने डुण्डुभका रूप त्यागकर पुनः अपने प्रकाशमान स्वरूपको प्राप्त कर लिया। फिर अनुपम ओजवाले रुरुसे यह बात कही --'समस्त प्राणियोंमें श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मण! अहिंसा सबसे उत्तम धर्म है

Transliteration

sa dauṇḍubhaṁ parityajya rūpaṁ viprarṣabhas tadā | svarūpaṁ bhāsvaraṁ bhūyaḥ pratipede mahāyaśāḥ ||

Translation

Nachdem er so gesprochen hatte, legte der ruhmreiche Stier unter den Brahmanen die Gestalt des Dauṇḍubha ab und gewann erneut seine eigene, strahlende Urnatur zurück. Im Rahmen der Erzählung bereitet diese Verwandlung eine ethische Unterweisung vor: Das höchste Dharma ist die Gewaltlosigkeit (ahiṃsā), als Leitprinzip des Handelns gegenüber allen Wesen an einen vornehmsten Brahmanen gerichtet.

Word by Word

• {'saḥ': 'he', 'dauṇḍubham': 'Dauṇḍubha (a named form/identity

• here the assumed form)', 'parityajya': 'having abandoned, having relinquished', 'rūpam': 'form, appearance', 'viprarṣabhaḥ': 'best of Brahmins

• bull among Brahmins (honorific)', 'tadā': 'then, at that time', 'svarūpam': 'one’s own true form, original nature', 'bhāsvaram': 'radiant, shining, luminous', 'bhūyaḥ': 'again, once more', 'pratipede': 'attained, regained, came to', 'mahāyaśāḥ': 'greatly renowned, illustrious'}

Speaker

डुण्ड्रुभ उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dauṇḍubha
• viprarṣabha (a Brahmin addressed/identified)
• Ruru (contextual narrative addressee in the given passage)
• ahiṃsā (non-violence, as a principle)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The episode is used to foreground ahiṃsā (non-violence) as the श्रेष्ठ/उत्तम धर्म—an ethical ideal urging restraint and compassion toward all beings, especially emphasized in instruction to a foremost Brahmin.

What is happening in the narrative?

After speaking, the illustrious Brahmin who had assumed the identity/form called ‘Dauṇḍubha’ abandons that guise and returns to his own radiant true form; this transformation sets the stage for a moral exhortation about ahiṃsā.