Shloka 26
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
विश्वामित्रो5थ भगवान् महर्षिरनिकेतन: । क्षुधापरिगतो धीमान् समन्तात् पर्यधावत,इन्हीं दिनों बुद्धिमान् महर्षि भगवान् विश्वामित्र भूखसे पीड़ित हो घर छोड़कर चारों ओर दौड़ लगा रहे थे
Viśvāmitro ’tha bhagavān maharṣir aniketanaḥ | kṣudhāparigato dhīmān samantāt paryadhāvat ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Alors le vénérable grand rishi Viśvāmitra, sans demeure fixe, fut accablé par la faim ; le sage, quittant sa maison, courut en tous sens à la recherche de subsistance.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even exalted sages may face bodily hardship like hunger; the verse foregrounds the ethical tension between ascetic ideals and survival needs, preparing the ground for reflection on restraint, right conduct, and dharma under distress.
Bhīṣma begins describing a phase in Viśvāmitra’s life when, afflicted by hunger and living without a fixed home, he wanders in every direction seeking food—setting up the circumstances for the ensuing episode and its moral implications.