Shloka 56
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
धर्म तवापि विप्रर्षे शुणु यत् ते ब्रवीम्पहम्,“ब्रह्मर्ष! मैं आपके लिये भी जो धर्मकी ही बात बता रहा हूँ, उसे सुनिये। मनीषी पुरुष कहते हैं कि कुत्ता सियारसे भी अधम होता है। कुत्तेके शरीरमें भी उसकी जाँघचका भाग सबसे अधम होता है
dharmaṃ tavāpi viprarṣe śṛṇu yat te bravīmy aham | manīṣiṇaḥ puruṣā vadanti śvā śṛgālād api adhamaḥ | śuno 'pi śarīre tasya jaṅghā-bhāgaḥ sarvādhamo bhavati ||
Dijo Ghapaca: «Oh vidente brāhmaṇa, escucha lo que te digo—esto también es una enseñanza de dharma para ti. Los sabios afirman que el perro es aún más vil que el chacal; y aun dentro del cuerpo del perro, su parte del muslo se considera la más despreciable».
घपच उवाच
Educational Q&A
The speaker uses a graded comparison of baseness (dog vs. jackal, and a low part within the dog’s body) to stress that some behaviors and associations are considered especially degrading; dharma requires discernment and avoidance of what leads to moral and social disgrace.
In a didactic exchange within Śānti Parva, Ghapaca addresses a brahmin seer and frames his remarks as instruction in dharma, employing a stark proverbial image to make his ethical point forcefully.