Shloka 48
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)
स एवमुक्त उपाध्यायं प्रत्युवाच भो: फेनं पिबामि यमिमे वत्सा मातृणां स्तनात् पिबन्त उद्गिरन्ति,इस प्रकार पूछनेपर उसने उपाध्यायको उत्तर दिया--'भगवन्! ये बछड़े अपनी माताओंके स्तनोंका दूध पीते समय जो फेन उगल देते हैं, उसीको पी लेता हूँ”
sa evam ukta upādhyāyaṁ pratyuvāca bhoḥ—phenaṁ pibāmi yam ime vatsā mātṝṇāṁ stanāt pibanta udgiranti |
Thus addressed, he replied to the teacher: “Sir, I drink the foam that these calves spit out while drinking milk from their mothers’ udders.” In context, the statement highlights a troubling ethical lapse: instead of living by restraint and purity expected of a student, he admits to sustaining himself on what is essentially another creature’s discarded remnant—an image used to underscore degraded conduct and the need for disciplined dharma in learning.
राम उवाच