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 ||
ナクラは言った。「その賢者は、婆羅門の中の雄牛ともいうべき人で、自らの経験に照らして推し量り、その時、苦行の女を見分けた――老い、飢えに責められ、疲れ果て、力尽きて気も遠くなっていた。彼女の有様を見て、その苦しみを悟り、慈悲と正しい義務によって応えるべきダルマの切迫を知ったのである。」
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.