Shloka 16
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 158 — Aṅgāraparṇa-saṃvāda and Gaṅgā-tīrtha Saṃghaṭṭa
Encounter at the Gaṅgā ford
इमामपि च ते बालामनाथां परिभूय माम् । अनरह्: प्रार्थयिष्यन्ति शूद्रा वेदशरुतिं यथा,जैसे अनधिकारी शूद्र वेदकी श्रुतिको प्राप्त करना चाहता हो, उसी प्रकार अयोग्य पुरुष मेरी अवहेलना करके आपकी इस अनाथ बालिकाको भी ग्रहण करना चाहेंगे
imām api ca te bālāṃ anāthāṃ paribhūya mām | anarhaḥ prārthayiṣyanti śūdrā vedaśrutiṃ yathā ||
“And even this young girl of yours, left without protection—disregarding me—unworthy men will seek to claim her, just as an ineligible Śūdra would presume to seek the hearing of the Veda.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The speaker frames a moral warning: when rightful guardianship and respect for authority are ignored, vulnerable persons (here, an unprotected girl) become targets of improper claims. He reinforces this by an analogy of ritual ineligibility—arguing that certain privileges or claims require fitness and legitimacy.
A brāhmaṇa warns that if he is disregarded, unworthy men will attempt to take the unprotected girl. To stress the impropriety, he compares their attempt to an ineligible person seeking access to Vedic hearing, highlighting social and ethical boundaries as understood by the speaker.