Shloka 51

कपिलगोसंवादे गृहस्थ-त्यागधर्मयोः प्रमाण्यविचारः

Kapila–Cow Dialogue: Authority of Householder and Renunciant Dharmas

Devanagari script

खे वाचं त्वमथाश्रौषीर्मा प्रति द्विजसत्तम । अमर्षवशमापन्नस्तत: प्राप्तो भवानिह । करवाणि प्रियं कि ते तद्‌ ब्रूहि द्विजसत्तम

Transliteration

khe vācaṃ tvam athāśrauṣīr mā prati dvijasattama | amarṣavaśam āpannas tataḥ prāpto bhavān iha | karavāṇi priyaṃ ki te tad brūhi dvijasattama ||

Translation

O Bester der Zweimalgeborenen! Du hast eine Stimme aus dem Himmel über mich vernommen; und von Entrüstung überwältigt bist du deshalb hierher zu mir gekommen. Sage mir, o erhabenster Brāhmaṇa: welchen erfreulichen Dienst kann ich dir erweisen?

Word by Word

• {'khe': 'in the sky

• in the air', 'vācam': 'a voice

• utterance', 'aśrauṣīḥ': 'you heard (2nd person singular, perfect)', 'mā prati': 'concerning me

• with reference to me', 'dvija-sattama': 'best among the twice-born (honorific for a brāhmaṇa)', 'amarṣa': 'intolerance

• resentment', 'vaśam āpannaḥ': 'having come under the sway (of)

• overpowered by', 'tataḥ': 'therefore

• from that cause', 'prāptaḥ': 'arrived

• come', 'iha': 'here', 'karavāṇi': 'may I do

• let me perform', 'priyam': 'pleasing

• a favor', 'ki te': 'what for you? what (do you wish), for your sake?', 'tad brūhi': 'tell that

Speaker

तुलाधार उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Tulādhāra
• a brāhmaṇa (dvijasattama/dvijaśreṣṭha)
• ākāśavāṇī (voice from the sky)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights ethical restraint and humility: even when another arrives driven by anger, the speaker responds with calm courtesy and offers service, modeling self-control and dharmic conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Tulādhāra addresses a brāhmaṇa who has come to him after hearing a heavenly voice about Tulādhāra; stirred by indignation, the brāhmaṇa approaches, and Tulādhāra asks what favor or service he may render.