Shloka 64
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
ऐन्द्रो धर्म: क्षत्रियाणां ब्राह्मणानामथाग्निक: । ब्रह्मवह्निर्मम बल॑ भक्ष्यामि शमयन् क्षुधाम्
aindro dharmaḥ kṣatriyāṇāṃ brāhmaṇānām athāgnikaḥ | brahmavahnirmama balaṃ bhakṣyāmi śamayan kṣudhām ||
घपच ने कहा—क्षत्रियों का धर्म इन्द्र-तुल्य है—वीर शासन और प्रभुत्व-बल; और ब्राह्मणों का धर्म अग्नि-यज्ञ है—पवित्र अग्नि का अनुशासन। मैं ‘ब्रह्म-अग्नि’ हूँ; मेरा बल भक्षण करना है। मैं खाकर अपनी क्षुधा शान्त करूँगा।
घपच उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts varṇa-specific ideals: kṣatriya dharma is framed as ‘Indra-like’ sovereignty and force, while brāhmaṇa dharma is ‘fire-based’—ritual discipline and sacred restraint. It also shows how a speaker can invoke dharma-language to define (and potentially justify) their own nature and actions.
The speaker identifies himself with a sacred, consuming fire (‘Brahma-fire’) and declares that his power is to devour in order to satisfy hunger. The statement uses the idiom of dharma (role-based duty and sacred power) to present consumption as an inherent function rather than a mere impulse.