Shloka 20
Pūjya-namaskārya-prakaraṇa
On Those Worthy of Honor and Salutation
एवंगते तु धर्मज्ञ दातुमरहसि मे वरम्
evaṃgate tu dharmajña dātum arhasi me varam
മതംഗൻ പറഞ്ഞു—“കാര്യങ്ങൾ ഇങ്ങനെ ഈ നിലയിലേക്കെത്തിയതിനാൽ, ധർമ്മജ്ഞനേ, എനിക്ക് ഒരു വരം നൽകേണ്ടതാണ്.”
मतंग उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral appeal: a request for a boon is grounded not in force but in dharma. By addressing the other as “dharmajña,” the speaker invokes ethical responsibility—suggesting that the righteous person should act consistently with dharma by honoring a legitimate request in the given circumstances.
Matanga speaks directly to a person characterized as a knower of dharma and, noting that the situation has reached a decisive point (“evaṃgate”), asks that a boon be granted to him. The line functions as a formal petition that advances the episode toward the granting (or testing) of a promised favor.