Shloka 11
Nāvyāśrama-nirmāṇa and Ṛśyaśṛṅga’s Distraction (नाव्याश्रमनिर्माणम्—ऋश्यशृङ्गस्य विचलनम्)
वेश्योवाच ममाश्रम: काश्यपपुत्र रम्य- स्त्रियोजनं शैलमिमं परेण । तत्र स्वधर्मो नाभिवादन मे न चोदकं पाद्यमुपस्पृशामि,वेश्या बोली--काश्यपनन्दन! मेरा आश्रम बड़ा मनोहर है। वह इस पर्वतके उस पार तीन योजनकी दूरीपर स्थित है। वहाँ मेरा जो अपना धर्म है उसके अनुसार आपको मेरा अभिवादन (प्रणाम) नहीं करना चाहिये। मैं आपके दिये हुए अर्घ्य और पाद्यका स्पर्श नहीं करूँगी
vaiśyovāca mama āśramaḥ kāśyapa-putra ramyaḥ stri-yojanaṁ śailam imaṁ pareṇa | tatra sva-dharmo nābhivādanaṁ me na codakaṁ pādyam upaspṛśāmi ||
The Vaiśyā said: “O son of Kaśyapa, my hermitage is delightful. It lies three yojanas away, beyond this mountain. There, according to the rule of conduct that is mine, you should not offer me salutations; nor will I touch the water for offering and the water for washing the feet that you present.”
ऋष्यशुड्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights sva-dharma—role- and context-specific norms of conduct. Even customary acts of reverence and hospitality (greeting, offering arghya/pādya) may be restricted by a person’s own rule of life, emphasizing that ethical action in the epic is often situational and governed by prescribed propriety.
A Vaiśyā woman describes the location of her hermitage beyond a mountain, three yojanas away, and sets boundaries for interaction: the addressee (called ‘son of Kaśyapa’) should not formally salute her there, and she will not accept (touch) the offered ritual waters for hospitality.