Shloka 3
Saṃvaraṇa’s Petition and Tapatī’s Conditioned Consent (सम्वरण-तपती संवादः)
मम पज्च सुता ब्रह्मंस्तेषामेको गमिष्यति । त्वदर्थ बलिमादाय तस्य पापस्य रक्षस:,कुन्तीद्वारा ब्राह्म॒ण-दम्पतिको सान्त्वना बकासुरपर भीमका प्रहार विप्रवर! मेरे पाँच पुत्र हैं, उनमेंसे एक आपके लिये उस पापी राक्षसकी बलि-सामग्री लेकर चला जायगा
mama pañca sutā brahman teṣām eko gamiṣyati | tvad-arthaṃ balim ādāya tasya pāpasya rakṣasaḥ ||
Dijo el brāhmaṇa: «Oh brahmán, tengo cinco hijos; uno de ellos irá. Llevando la ofrenda destinada para ti, irá ante ese rākṣasa pecador».
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds atithi-dharma and gratitude: the householder feels bound to protect a guest even at severe personal cost, revealing how dharma can demand self-sacrifice while also exposing the tragic pressure created by adharma (the rākṣasa’s extortion).
A brāhmaṇa, whose family is compelled to send a victim with tribute to a rākṣasa, tells the visiting brāhmaṇa that he has five sons and will send one of them, carrying the offering meant for the guest, to the demon.