Shloka 17
Mohinī-ākhyāna: The Trial of Ekādaśī and the King’s Satya-saṅkalpa
सोऽहं कथं करोम्यद्य अभक्ष्यस्य तु भक्षणम् । नोपक्षीणशरीरोऽहं नामयावी द्विजोत्तमाः ॥ १७ ॥
so'haṃ kathaṃ karomyadya abhakṣyasya tu bhakṣaṇam | nopakṣīṇaśarīro'haṃ nāmayāvī dvijottamāḥ || 17 ||
«¿Cómo podría yo hoy cometer el acto de comer lo prohibido? Mi cuerpo no está debilitado, ni padezco enfermedad alguna, oh los mejores entre los nacidos dos veces.»
A narrator/character addressing brāhmaṇas (dvijottamāḥ) within the Tirtha-Mahatmya dialogue frame of Book 2
Vrata: none (vrata context implied by abhakshya-tyaga)
Rasa: {"primary_rasa":"shanta","secondary_rasa":"vira","emotional_journey":"A calm but firm inner resolve: the speaker refuses to rationalize forbidden eating, citing bodily capacity and absence of illness as grounds to keep restraint."}
FAQs
It highlights dharma as conscious restraint: one should not justify forbidden acts (like eating abhakṣya) unless compelled by genuine distress; inner vigilance is part of purity (śauca) and merit in sacred contexts.
Bhakti is supported by disciplined conduct—especially purity in food and behavior—so the speaker’s refusal to rationalize wrongdoing reflects the devotional ethic of pleasing the Divine through dharmic living.
It implicitly relies on Dharma-śāstra-based āhāra-niyama (dietary rules) and śauca principles—applied knowledge that traditionally depends on correct understanding of textual injunctions (supported by Vyākaraṇa/interpretive clarity).