Shloka 17
तापती–संवरणोपाख्यानम्
The Tapatī–Saṃvaraṇa Episode: Meaning of “Tāpatya”
सहैवैतैर्गमिष्यामि बान्धवैरद्य राक्षसम् । ततो नः सहितान् क्षुद्र: सर्वानिवोपभोक्ष्यति,अब इन बान्धवजनोंके साथ ही मैं राक्षसके पास जाऊँगा; फिर वह नीच निशाचर एक ही साथ हम सबको खा जायगा
sahaivaitair gamiṣyāmi bāndhavair adya rākṣasam | tato naḥ sahitān kṣudraḥ sarvān ivopabhokṣyati ||
I will go today to the rākṣasa together with these very kinsmen. Then that vile night-roamer will devour us all at once, united as we are.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a grim ethical stance: facing danger collectively rather than abandoning one’s own. It frames kinship-duty and solidarity as a form of dharma, even when the outcome is likely death.
A brāhmaṇa declares that he will go to the rākṣasa along with his relatives, accepting that the creature will then devour them all together—an expression of resolve amid a deadly threat.