अत्रिरुवाच । मातरं पितरं नित्यं दुर्मतिः सोऽवमन्यताम् । शूद्रं पृच्छतु धर्मार्थं बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः
atriruvāca | mātaraṃ pitaraṃ nityaṃ durmatiḥ so'vamanyatām | śūdraṃ pṛcchatu dharmārthaṃ bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ
ಅತ್ರಿಯು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಧರ್ಮಾರ್ಥವಾಗಿ ಶೂದ್ರನನ್ನು ಪ್ರಶ್ನಿಸುವವನು ದುರ್ಮತಿ; ಅವನು ನಿತ್ಯವೂ ತಾಯಿ-ತಂದೆಯನ್ನು ಅವಮಾನಿಸುವವನಂತೆ, ಪದ್ಮದಂಡ-ಚೋರನೆಂದು ಎಣಿಸಲ್ಪಡುವನು।
Atri
Scene: Atri rishi speaks while a young man turns away from his aged parents; a separate vignette shows him seeking counsel inappropriately, contrasted with a serene guru-assembly.
It stresses sadācāra (right conduct): honoring one’s parents and seeking dharma-guidance from proper authorities, warning that ethical lapses undermine religious life even in a tīrtha context.
This verse functions as a general dharma-assertion within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya setting; the snippet itself does not name a particular tīrtha.
No specific rite (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed here; the verse gives a moral censure related to conduct and proper inquiry into dharma.