Shloka 43
Gārhasthya-Śreṣṭhatā and Kṣatriya-Daṇḍadhāraṇa
Householder Primacy and the Royal Duty of Punishment
लिखित उवाच किं तु नाहं त्वया पूतः पूर्वमेव महाद्युते । यस्य ते तपसो वीर्यमीदृशं द्विजसत्तम,तब लिखितने पूछा--महातेजस्वी द्विजश्रेष्ठी] जब आपकी तपस्याका ऐसा बल है तो आपने पहले ही मुझे पवित्र क्यों नहीं कर दिया?
Likhita uvāca: kiṁ tu nāhaṁ tvayā pūtaḥ pūrvam eva mahādyute | yasya te tapaso vīryam īdṛśaṁ dvijasattama ||
Likhita dit : «Mais pourquoi ne m’as-tu pas purifié plus tôt, ô toi dont l’éclat est immense ? Si la puissance de ton austérité est vraiment telle, ô le meilleur des brahmanes, pourquoi ne m’as-tu pas lavé de toute faute sur-le-champ ?»
लिखित उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse probes the ethical expectation that spiritual power (tapas) should be used responsibly and promptly for purification and restoration of dharma, raising the question of why corrective grace or expiation was not applied earlier when it was evidently possible.
Likhita addresses a highly radiant Brahmin-ascetic, acknowledging the extraordinary potency of his austerities and questioning why, if such power exists, Likhita was not purified beforehand—implying a situation involving impurity, fault, or the need for expiation.