Shloka 44
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
आत्मानुमानतो विद्वान् स तु विप्रर्षभस्तदा । जानन वृद्धां क्षुधार्ता च श्रान्तां ग्लानां तपस्विनीम्
ātmānumānato vidvān sa tu viprarṣabhas tadā | jānan vṛddhāṃ kṣudhārtāṃ ca śrāntāṃ glānāṃ tapasvinīm ||
Nakula said: “That wise man, a bull among brāhmaṇas, judging by his own experience, then recognized the ascetic woman—aged, tormented by hunger, and worn out and faint. Seeing her condition, he understood her suffering and the moral urgency of responding with compassion and proper duty.”
नकुल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical empathy: a truly wise person infers another’s suffering by reflecting on one’s own experience (ātmānumānataḥ) and recognizes the dharmic need to respond compassionately—especially toward vulnerable ascetics.
Nakula describes a learned brāhmaṇa who, upon seeing an aged female ascetic weakened by hunger and fatigue, recognizes her distressed state. The scene sets up a dharma-driven response—care, aid, or hospitality—toward the tapasvinī.