Shloka 20
The Deliverance of King Nṛga and the Warning Against Taking Brāhmaṇa Property
अनुनीतावुभौ विप्रौ धर्मकृच्छ्रगतेन वै । गवां लक्षं प्रकृष्टानां दास्याम्येषा प्रदीयताम् ॥ १९ ॥ भवन्तावनुगृह्णीतां किङ्करस्याविजानत: । समुद्धरतं मां कृच्छ्रात् पतन्तं निरयेऽशुचौ ॥ २० ॥
anunītāv ubhau viprau dharma-kṛcchra-gatena vai gavāṁ lakṣaṁ prakṛṣṭānāṁ dāsyāmy eṣā pradīyatām
Terjepit dalam dilema dharma yang mengerikan, aku memohon dengan rendah hati kepada kedua brāhmaṇa itu: “Sebagai ganti sapi ini, akan kuberikan seratus ribu sapi terbaik; mohon kembalikan sapi ini kepadaku. Aku hanyalah pelayan yang tak tahu; berbelas kasihlah dan selamatkan aku dari kesulitan ini, kalau tidak aku akan jatuh ke neraka yang kotor.”
FAQs
This verse shows a person in a dharmic crisis offering substantial charity—excellent cows—as a form of appeasement and attempted atonement.
He was caught in a serious moral predicament and tried to pacify the brāhmaṇas by offering an immense gift, seeking relief from the consequences of his wrongdoing.
When one causes harm or acts wrongly, sincere restitution—paired with humility and responsibility—matters; mere excuses are not enough.