Shloka 13
Adhiratha-Rādhā Discover the Casket; Vasuṣeṇa (Karṇa) is Adopted and Formed
सुवृत्तामसुवृत्तां वाप्यहं त्वामद्य मैथिलि | नोत्सहे परिभोगाय श्वावलीढं हविर्यथा,“मिथिलेशनन्दिनी! तुम्हारा आचार-विचार शुद्ध रह गया हो अथवा अशुद्ध, अब मैं तुम्हें अपने उपयोगमें नहीं ला सकता--ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे कुत्तेके चाटे हुए हविष्यको कोई भी ग्रहण नहीं करता'
suvṛttām asuvṛttāṃ vāpy ahaṃ tvām adya maithili | notsahe paribhogāya śvāvalīḍhaṃ havir yathā ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O Maithilī, whether your conduct has remained virtuous or has become otherwise, today I cannot bring myself to accept you for my own enjoyment—just as no one would take up an oblation that has been licked by a dog.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the ritual metaphor of 'havis licked by a dog' to express a strict social-ethical notion of taint: once a person is perceived as 'defiled' (rightly or wrongly), the speaker claims he cannot accept her for personal enjoyment. It highlights how ideas of purity, reputation, and social stigma can override nuanced moral assessment.
Mārkaṇḍeya addresses a woman identified as 'Maithilī' and declares that regardless of whether she remained virtuous or not, he will not accept her for his own use, comparing her to a sacrificial offering rendered unacceptable after being licked by a dog.