Shloka 55
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
यथावत् सर्वभूग ब्रह्मा तथा मां विद्धि धर्मत: । “अग्निदेव देवताओंके मुख हैं, पुरोहित हैं, पवित्र द्रव्य ही ग्रहण करते हैं और महान् प्रभावशाली हैं तथापि वे जैसे अवस्थाके अनुसार सर्वभक्षी हो गये हैं, उसी प्रकार मैं ब्राह्मण होकर भी सर्वभक्षी बनूँगा; अतः तुम धर्मतः मुझे ब्राह्मण ही समझो” ।। ५४ ई ।। तमुवाच स चाण्डालो महर्षे शूणु मे वच:
yathāvat sarvabhūg brahmā tathā māṁ viddhi dharmataḥ | agnidevo devatānāṁ mukhaṁ purohitaḥ pavitra-dravya-grahī mahān prabhāvavān tathāpi yathāvasthānusāreṇa sarvabhakṣo bhūtaḥ, tathāham api brāhmaṇo bhūtvā sarvabhakṣo bhaviṣyāmi; ataḥ tvaṁ dharmataḥ mām brāhmaṇam eva jānīhi || tam uvāca sa cāṇḍālo maharṣe śṛṇu me vacaḥ ||
Ketahuilah aku, menurut dharma, seperti Brahmā yang disebut ‘pemakan segala’. Agni, meski menjadi mulut para dewa, purohita mereka, penerima persembahan yang suci saja, dan berdaya agung, tetap—sesuai keadaan—menjadi pemakan apa pun. Demikian pula aku, walau seorang brāhmaṇa, akan menjadi pemakan segala; maka menurut ukuran dharma, anggaplah aku tetap brāhmaṇa.” Lalu Caṇḍāla itu menjawab, “Wahai maharsi, dengarkan perkataanku.”
घपच उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage argues that dharma can recognize inner status and intention even when outward conduct is forced by circumstance. By citing Agni—normally the pure receiver of offerings—becoming ‘all-consuming’ depending on conditions, it frames a doctrine of āpaddharma: in extremity, actions that appear impure may not negate one’s dharmic identity when undertaken under compulsion and with right understanding.
A speaker defends being regarded as a brāhmaṇa ‘according to dharma’ despite becoming ‘all-eating’ due to circumstances, using Agni as an analogy. Immediately after, a Caṇḍāla responds to the sage, indicating a debate or ethical confrontation where social identity, purity rules, and dharmic judgment are being tested.