Shloka 17
Mohinī-ākhyāna: The Trial of Ekādaśī and the King’s Satya-saṅkalpa
सोऽहं कथं करोम्यद्य अभक्ष्यस्य तु भक्षणम् । नोपक्षीणशरीरोऽहं नामयावी द्विजोत्तमाः ॥ १७ ॥
so'haṃ kathaṃ karomyadya abhakṣyasya tu bhakṣaṇam | nopakṣīṇaśarīro'haṃ nāmayāvī dvijottamāḥ || 17 ||
ಇಂದು ನಾನು ಅಭಕ್ಷ್ಯವನ್ನು ಹೇಗೆ ಭಕ್ಷಿಸಲಿ? ಹೇ ದ್ವಿಜೋತ್ತಮರೇ, ನನ್ನ ದೇಹ ಕ್ಷೀಣವಾಗಿಲ್ಲ; ನಾನು ರೋಗಿಯೂ ಅಲ್ಲ॥
A narrator/character addressing brāhmaṇas (dvijottamāḥ) within the Tirtha-Mahatmya dialogue frame of Book 2
Vrata: none (vrata context implied by abhakshya-tyaga)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
It highlights dharma as conscious restraint: one should not justify forbidden acts (like eating abhakṣya) unless compelled by genuine distress; inner vigilance is part of purity (śauca) and merit in sacred contexts.
Bhakti is supported by disciplined conduct—especially purity in food and behavior—so the speaker’s refusal to rationalize wrongdoing reflects the devotional ethic of pleasing the Divine through dharmic living.
It implicitly relies on Dharma-śāstra-based āhāra-niyama (dietary rules) and śauca principles—applied knowledge that traditionally depends on correct understanding of textual injunctions (supported by Vyākaraṇa/interpretive clarity).