Shloka 81
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
श्षपच उवाच गोपनीयमिदं दुःखमिति मे निश्चिता मतिः । दुष्कृतो5ब्राह्मण: सत्र यस्त्वामहमुपालभे
śvapaca uvāca gopanīyam idaṃ duḥkham iti me niścitā matiḥ | duṣkṛto ’brāhmaṇaḥ satra yas tvām aham upālabhe ||
श्वपच बोला— मेरा निश्चय है कि यह दुःखद बात गुप्त ही रखनी चाहिए; फिर भी मैं पापी और ब्राह्मणेतर होकर भी यहाँ आपको उलाहना दे रहा हूँ। सच तो यह है कि मेरे जैसे का धर्म-उपदेश देना भी धूर्तता-सा ही है।
श्षपच उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethical counsel can be valid even when spoken by someone of low social standing or with acknowledged faults; the speaker stresses the seriousness of wrongdoing and the humility (and risk of hypocrisy) involved in preaching dharma.
A śvapaca (caṇḍāla) addresses another person, stating his firm view about a grievous matter and admitting his own sinfulness and non-brāhmaṇa status, yet he continues to admonish the other—while also confessing that giving dharma-instruction may appear presumptuous for him.