Shloka 48
स एवमुक्त उपाध्यायं प्रत्युवाच भो: फेनं पिबामि यमिमे वत्सा मातृणां स्तनात् पिबन्त उद्गिरन्ति,इस प्रकार पूछनेपर उसने उपाध्यायको उत्तर दिया--'भगवन्! ये बछड़े अपनी माताओंके स्तनोंका दूध पीते समय जो फेन उगल देते हैं, उसीको पी लेता हूँ”
sa evam ukta upādhyāyaṁ pratyuvāca bhoḥ—phenaṁ pibāmi yam ime vatsā mātṝṇāṁ stanāt pibanta udgiranti |
So angesprochen, erwiderte er dem Lehrer: „Herr, ich trinke den Schaum, den diese Kälber ausspucken, während sie an den Eutern ihrer Mütter Milch trinken.“
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a stark confession to emphasize that a student’s life should be governed by disciplined conduct (ācāra) and purity; living on impure or exploitative remnants symbolizes moral decline and the necessity of restraint under a teacher’s guidance.
After being questioned by his teacher, the speaker admits that he drinks the foam ejected by calves while they nurse—revealing his manner of sustenance and, implicitly, a questionable practice that invites ethical scrutiny.