Shloka 5
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)
त॑ माता प्रत्युवाच व्यक्त त्वया तत्रापराद्धं येनास्यभिहत इति,तब माता उससे बोली--“बेटा! अवश्य ही तूने उनका कोई प्रकटरूपमें अपराध किया होगा, जिसके कारण उन्होंने तुझे मारा है”
tā mātā pratyuvāca vyaktaṃ tvayā tatrāparāddhaṃ yenāsyābhihata iti
Da erwiderte die Mutter: „Mein Kind, gewiss hast du dort ein offenkundiges Vergehen begangen; darum hat man dich geschlagen.“
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical self-scrutiny: when one suffers harm, one should first consider whether one’s own misconduct (aparādha) provoked it. It reflects a dharmic tendency to interpret events through responsibility and moral causality rather than immediate retaliation.
A son reports being struck, and his mother responds by inferring that he must have committed some clear offence in that situation; she explains the beating as a consequence of that fault.