Shloka 9
Āraṇyaka Parva, Adhyāya 116: Jamadagni–Reṇukā Narrative and the Kārtavīrya Conflict
Akṛtavraṇa’s Account
सतां दृष्टवा च्युतां धैर्याद् ब्राह्मया लक्ष्म्या विवर्जिताम् | धिकक््छब्देन महातेजा गर्हयामास वीर्यवान्,उसे धैर्यसे च्युत और ब्रह्मतेजसे वंचित हुई देख उन महातेजस्वी शक्तिशाली महर्षिने धिक््कारपूर्ण वचनोंद्वारा उसकी निन््दा की
satāṃ dṛṣṭvā cyutāṃ dhairyād brāhmyā lakṣmyā vivarjitām | dhik-śabdena mahātejā garhayāmāsa vīryavān ||
Seeing her fallen from steadfast courage and bereft of the sacred radiance befitting a brahminical life, the mighty, brilliant sage—full of spiritual power—rebuked her with words of sharp reproach, uttering “Fie!” Thus he censured her lapse from the conduct expected of the virtuous.
अकृतव्रण उवाच
Educational Q&A
A lapse from dhairya (steadfast courage) and from brāhmya-lakṣmī (the dignity and spiritual splendor grounded in disciplined conduct) is treated as ethically blameworthy; the virtuous are expected to uphold inner steadiness and auspicious restraint, and correction may come through stern rebuke.
Akṛtavraṇa observes a person (referred to as 'her' in the verse) who has deviated from courage and lost the aura of proper brahminical dignity; he responds by censuring her, explicitly using the reproachful exclamation 'dhik' to condemn the fall from expected conduct.