Shloka 6
तापती–संवरणोपाख्यानम्
The Tapatī–Saṃvaraṇa Episode: Meaning of “Tāpatya”
वेतनं तस्य विहितं शालिवाहस्य भोजनम् । महिषौ पुरुषश्लैको यस्तदादाय गच्छति,उसके लिये कर नियत किया गया है--बीस खारी अगहनीके चावलका भात, दो भैंसे और एक मनुष्य, जो वह सब सामान लेकर उसके पास जाता है
vetanaṁ tasya vihitaṁ śālivāhasya bhojanam | mahiṣau puruṣaślaiko yas tad ādāya gacchati ||
Dijo el brāhmaṇa: «Para él se ha fijado el tributo estipulado: alimento para Śālivāha—esto es, una comida de arroz de la cosecha de otoño—junto con dos búfalos y un hombre, que deberá ser entregado por quien tome todo ello y vaya a su presencia».
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds how ‘prescribed dues’ can be treated as legitimate by custom, yet may conceal moral harm—especially when a human being is counted among transferable items. It invites reflection on dharma as more than social convention: ethical scrutiny is required when norms commodify life.
A brāhmaṇa speaker states the fixed compensation/levy owed: provisions (a meal of rice) for Śālivāha, plus two buffaloes and one man, to be delivered by whoever carries these items to him. The statement functions as a formal specification of what must be paid and delivered.