Shloka 38
शंख उवाच न कुप्ये तव धर्मज्ञ न त्वं दूषयसे मम । सुनिर्मलं कुल ब्रह्म॒न्नस्मिन् जगति विश्रुतम् । धर्मस्तु ते व्यतिक्रान्तस्ततस्ते निष्कृति: कृता,शंख बोले--धर्मज्ञ! मैं तुमपर कुपित नहीं हूँ। तुम मेरा कोई अपराध नहीं करते हो। ब्रह्मन! हम दोनोंका कुल इस जगत्में अत्यन्त निर्मल एवं निष्कलंक रूपमें विख्यात है। तुमने धर्मका उल्लंघन किया था, अतः उसीका प्रायश्रित्त किया है
śaṅkha uvāca | na kupye tava dharmajña na tvaṃ dūṣayase mama | sunirmalaṃ kula brahmann asmin jagati viśrutam | dharmas tu te vyatikrāntas tatas te niṣkṛtiḥ kṛtā ||
Śaṅkha said: “O knower of dharma, I am not angry with you; you have done me no wrong. O brāhmaṇa, our lineage is renowned in this world as utterly pure and unblemished. But you had transgressed dharma—therefore the expiation for that has now been accomplished.”
शंख उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral fault is treated as a breach of dharma that calls for niṣkṛti (expiation), and once expiation is fulfilled, resentment is set aside. The verse links personal conduct with the ethical reputation of one’s lineage, emphasizing accountability without vindictiveness.
Śaṅkha addresses a brāhmaṇa, declaring he bears no anger and has not been personally wronged. He notes their lineage is famed for purity, then states that the other party had violated dharma and has now completed the required atonement—closing the matter ethically.