Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
श्रुत्वा तत् त्वं तथा55तिष्ठ यथा धर्मो न हीयते । तब चाण्डालने उनसे कहा--“महर्षे! मेरी बात सुनिये और उसे सुनकर ऐसा काम कीजिये, जिससे आपका धर्म नष्ट न हो
śrutvā tat tvaṃ tathā tiṣṭha yathā dharmo na hīyate |
ચાંડાલે કહ્યું—“મહર્ષે! મારી વાત સાંભળો; અને સાંભળીને એવું વર્તો કે તમારો ધર્મ ક્ષીણ ન થાય.”
घपच उवाच
One should choose actions that safeguard dharma—conduct must be guided by the principle that righteousness should not be reduced or compromised.
A Caṇḍāla speaks to a sage, asking him to listen and then proceed in a manner that prevents any loss of dharma, framing the situation as an ethical decision-point.