Shloka 73
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
विश्वामित्र उवाच शिष्टा वै कारणं धर्मे तद्वृत्तमनुवर्तये । परां मेध्याशनामेनां भक्ष्यां मन्ये श्वजाघनीम्,विश्वामित्र बोले-शिष्टपुरुष ही धर्मकी प्रवृत्तिके कारण हैं। मैं उन्हींके आचारका अनुसरण करता हूँ; अतः इस कुत्तेकी जाँघको मैं पवित्र भोजनके समान ही भक्षणीय मानता हूँ
viśvāmitra uvāca | śiṣṭā vai kāraṇaṃ dharme tadvṛttam anuvartaye | parāṃ medhyāśanām enāṃ bhakṣyāṃ manye śvajāghanīm |
Viśvāmitra berkata: “Perilaku orang-orang yang berbudaya dan berdisiplin itulah sumber dan penuntun dharma; aku mengikuti laku mereka. Karena itu aku memandang paha anjing ini layak dimakan, seakan-akan ia makanan yang suci dan disucikan.”
विश्वामित्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is grounded in the lived conduct of exemplary persons (śiṣṭācāra). Viśvāmitra argues that right action is not only a matter of rigid rules of purity, but also of discerning adherence to the guiding standards embodied by the wise, even when circumstances force difficult choices.
Viśvāmitra justifies eating an otherwise impure food—meat from a dog’s thigh—by appealing to dharma as guided by the practice of the righteous. The statement frames his action as an ethically reasoned exception rather than mere indulgence.