ऋषय ऊचुः । केन क्षुधाभितप्तानामस्माकं पापकर्मणा । बिसानि तानि सर्वाणि हृतानि च मुनीश्वराः
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | kena kṣudhābhitaptānāmasmākaṃ pāpakarmaṇā | bisāni tāni sarvāṇi hṛtāni ca munīśvarāḥ
Les sages dirent : «Par qui—par quel acte fautif contre nous, tourmentés par la faim—toutes ces tiges de lotus ont-elles été emportées, ô seigneurs parmi les munis ?»
Ṛṣis
Tirtha: Prabhāsa (saras-bank episode)
Type: kund
Scene: A spokesman among the sages addresses the group, palms open in questioning; other rishis look troubled; the empty bank spot is visible; their lean bodies and simple attire emphasize hunger and austerity.
Stealing—especially from ascetics and the needy—is pāpa; sacred settings intensify the demand for ethical clarity.
The narrative remains within Prabhāsa-kṣetra, at a lake-tīrtha where the sages had bathed.
None directly; the verse frames an ethical breach (steya) that will lead to vows or imprecations in subsequent lines.