Shloka 99
भो उत्तड़कैतत् पुरीषमस्य ऋषभस्य भक्षयस्वेति स एवमुक्तो नैच्छत्,“उत्तंक! तुम इस बैलका गोबर खा लो।' किंतु उसके ऐसा कहनेपर भी उत्तंकको वह गोबर खानेकी इच्छा नहीं हुई
bho uttaṅka etat purīṣam asya ṛṣabhasya bhakṣayasveti sa evam ukto naicchat
Rāma said, “O Uttaṅka, eat this dung of this bull.” Yet, even after being addressed in this way, Uttaṅka did not consent—he felt no willingness to eat it. The episode underscores a moral tension between obedience to an instruction and one’s inner sense of purity and propriety, testing discernment (viveka) alongside duty (dharma).
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic test: whether one should obey a command that appears impure or improper. It points to the need for discernment—dharma is not merely mechanical obedience, but also involves moral judgment and inner integrity.
Rāma instructs Uttaṅka to eat the dung of a bull. Uttaṅka, despite hearing the command, refuses internally and does not agree to do it, indicating hesitation and moral resistance within the unfolding test.