Shloka 16
Uttanka’s Guru-Śuśrūṣā and the Commission to Retrieve the Maṇikuṇḍalas (उत्तङ्क-गुरुशुश्रूषा तथा मणिकुण्डल-आदेशः)
ततो दिग्वाससं धीमान् मातड़ं मलपड्किनम् | अपश्यत मरौ तस्मिन् श्वयूथपरिवारितम्,इतनेहीमें उन बुद्धिमान् मुनिको उस मसरुप्रदेशमें कुत्तोंक झुंडसे घिरा हुआ एक नंग- धड़ंग चाण्डाल दिखायी पड़ा, जिसके शरीरमें मैल और कीचड़ जमी हुई थी
tato digvāsasaṃ dhīmān mātaṅgaṃ malapaṅkinam | apaśyata marau tasmin śvayūthaparivāritam ||
Then the wise one saw, in that desert region, a naked outcaste (Mātaṅga), his body smeared with filth and mud, surrounded by a pack of dogs.
उत्तडुक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical need for discernment: external markers—nudity, filth, low social status—do not by themselves determine inner worth. Dharma requires looking beyond appearances and recognizing that truth or instruction may come from unexpected, socially marginalized sources.
Uttanka, moving through a desert region, encounters a naked Mātaṅga/caṇḍāla figure whose body is smeared with dirt and mud, and who is surrounded by a pack of dogs—an ominous, socially charged meeting that sets up a test of perception and conduct.