Shloka 53
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
सो<धर्म बुद्धयमानो<पि हरिष्यामि श्वजाघनीम् । अटगन् भैक्ष्यं न विन्दामि यदा युष्माकमालये
so 'dharma-buddhyamāno 'pi hariṣyāmi śvajāghanīm | aṭagan bhaikṣyaṁ na vindāmi yadā yuṣmākam ālaye ||
Sekalipun aku mengetahui tuntutan dharma, aku akan membawa pergi śvajāghanī (paha anjing). Aku mengembara mencari sedekah, namun tak kutemukan apa pun—terutama ketika aku datang ke kediamanmu.
घपच उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral tension: even with clear awareness of dharma, extreme deprivation and social neglect can push a person toward wrongdoing. It implicitly critiques a situation where a householder’s failure to offer alms or support contributes to ethical collapse.
The speaker declares that, despite knowing what is right, he intends to seize something/someone called “śvajāghanī,” explaining that when he goes about begging he receives nothing, particularly at the addressee’s home—suggesting desperation leading to a threatened act of taking by force.