Shloka 3

Devanagari script

मम पज्च सुता ब्रह्मंस्तेषामेको गमिष्यति । त्वदर्थ बलिमादाय तस्य पापस्य रक्षस:,कुन्तीद्वारा ब्राह्म॒ण-दम्पतिको सान्त्वना बकासुरपर भीमका प्रहार विप्रवर! मेरे पाँच पुत्र हैं, उनमेंसे एक आपके लिये उस पापी राक्षसकी बलि-सामग्री लेकर चला जायगा

Transliteration

mama pañca sutā brahman teṣām eko gamiṣyati | tvad-arthaṃ balim ādāya tasya pāpasya rakṣasaḥ ||

Translation

The brāhmaṇa said: “O Brahmin, I have five sons; one of them will go. Carrying the offering meant for you, he will go to that sinful rākṣasa.”

Word by Word

ममof me / my

पञ्चfive

सुताःsons

ब्रह्मन्O Brahmin

तेषाम्of them

एकःone (of them)

गमिष्यतिwill go

त्वदर्थम्for your sake

बलिम्offering / tribute

आदायhaving taken

तस्यof that

पापस्यsinful / wicked

रक्षसःof the demon (rakshasa)

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

ब

ब्राह्मण (the brāhmaṇa householder)

ब

ब्राह्मण (addressed guest)

र

राक्षस (the rākṣasa; contextually Baka/Bakāsura)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds atithi-dharma and gratitude: the householder feels bound to protect a guest even at severe personal cost, revealing how dharma can demand self-sacrifice while also exposing the tragic pressure created by adharma (the rākṣasa’s extortion).

What is happening in the narrative?

A brāhmaṇa, whose family is compelled to send a victim with tribute to a rākṣasa, tells the visiting brāhmaṇa that he has five sons and will send one of them, carrying the offering meant for the guest, to the demon.