Shloka 46
Kuvalāśva’s Lineage and Uttaṅka’s Petition concerning Dhundhu (धुन्धु-प्रसङ्गः)
गच्छात्रेय राजानं ब्रूहि यदि पर्याप्तं निर्यातयो-पाध्यायवाम्याविति । स गत्वैवं तं राजानमब्रवीत् तं राजा प्रत्युवाच राज्ञामेतद्वाहनमनर्हा ब्राह्मणा रत्नानामेवंविधानां कि ब्राह्मणानाम श्वै: कार्य साधु गम्यताम्,“मन-ही-मन सोच-विचार करते हुए जब एक मास पूरा हो गया, तब वे अपने शिष्यसे बोले--'आत्रेय! जाकर राजासे कहो कि यदि काम पूरा हो गया हो तो गुरुजीके दोनों वाम्य अश्व लौटा दीजिये।” शिष्यने जाकर राजासे यही बात दुहरायी। तब राजाने उसे उत्तर देते हुए कहा--“यह सवारी राजाओंके योग्य है। ब्राह्मणोंको ऐसे रत्न रखनेका अधिकार नहीं है। भला, ब्राह्मणोंकों घोड़े लेकर क्या करना है? अब आप सकुशल पधारिये”
Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca: gacchātreya rājānaṃ brūhi yadi paryāptaṃ niryātayopādhyāyavāmyāv iti. sa gatvaivaṃ taṃ rājānam abravīt; taṃ rājā pratyuvāca—rājñām etad vāhanam anarhā brāhmaṇā ratnānām evaṃvidhānāṃ; kiṃ brāhmaṇānām aśvaiḥ kāryam? sādhu gamyatām.
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: When a full month had passed in inward thought and deliberation, the teacher said to his disciple, “Ātreya, go and tell the king: if the task is complete, let him return the two left-side horses belonging to the preceptor.” The disciple went and conveyed this message to the king. The king replied, “Such a mount is fit for kings; brahmins have no rightful claim to jewels of this kind. What use have brahmins for horses? Go back in peace.” The episode highlights a clash between royal entitlement and brahminical ownership, raising questions of dharma regarding property, status, and the ethics of refusal.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma as a contested space: the king asserts that certain forms of wealth and power-symbols (horses, precious mounts) belong to royal duty and status, while the teacher’s request implies a moral claim of rightful ownership and restitution. The ethical tension lies in whether social role can override justice in returning what belongs to another.
After a month of reflection, the teacher instructs his disciple Ātreya to ask the king to return the preceptor’s two left-side horses if the work is done. The disciple delivers the message; the king refuses, arguing that such mounts are for kings and that brahmins should not possess such valuables, then dismisses the messenger to depart safely.