Shloka 12
Jatāyu’s Resistance, Sītā’s Traces, Kabandha’s Release, and the Path to Sugrīva (Āraṇyaka-parva 263)
इत्युक्त्वा गच्छति स्नातुं प्रत्यागच्छति वै चिरात् । न भोक्ष्याम्यद्य मे नास्ति क्षुधेत्युक्त्वैत्यदर्शनम्,वे मुनि कभी कहते कि 'राजन्! मैं बहुत भूखा हूँ, मुझे शीघ्र भोजन दो” ऐसा कहकर वे स्नान करनेके लिये चले जाते और बहुत देरके बाद लौटते थे। लौटकर वे कह देते--'मैं नहीं खाऊँगा; आज मुझे भूख नहीं है” ऐसा कहकर अदृश्य हो जाते थे
ity uktvā gacchati snātuṃ pratyāgacchati vai cirāt | na bhokṣyāmy adya me nāsti kṣudhety uktvaity adarśanam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Having spoken thus, he would go to bathe and then return only after a long time. On coming back he would say, ‘I will not eat; today I have no hunger,’ and, saying this, he would vanish from sight.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights atithi-dharma and steadiness of conduct: a virtuous host should remain patient and committed to hospitality even when a guest delays, changes his mind, or behaves unpredictably—treating the guest with respect rather than irritation.
A sage, after making a request, goes off to bathe, returns much later, then declares he will not eat because he is no longer hungry, and finally disappears—suggesting a deliberate test or a display of ascetic/supernatural capacity.