Shloka 34

Devanagari script

अथवानडुहे राजन्‌ साधवे साधुवाहिने | सौहित्यदानादेतस्मादेनस: प्रतिमुच्यते,राजन्‌! अथवा अच्छी तरह बोझ ढोनेवाले उत्तम बैलको भरपेट भोजन दे देनेपर इस पापसे आपको छुटकारा मिल सकता है

Transliteration

athavā naḍuhe rājan sādhave sādhuvāhine | sauhityadānād etasmād enasaḥ pratimucyate rājan ||

Translation

അല്ലെങ്കിൽ, രാജാവേ! ശാന്തസ്വഭാവമുള്ളതും ഭാരമേറ്റു നടക്കാൻ പതിവുള്ളതുമായ നല്ല കാളയ്ക്ക് തൃപ്തിയാകുവോളം ആഹാരം നൽകുകയാൽ ഈ പാപത്തിൽ നിന്ന് നിങ്ങൾ മോചിതനാകാം—അതും പ്രായശ്ചിത്തമാണ്.

Word by Word

अथवाor else; alternatively

अनडुहेto the bull/ox

राजन्O king

साधवेto the good (one)

साधु-वाहिनेto the good carrier/draught-animal

सौहित्य-दानात्from giving satiety/full feeding

एतस्मात्from this

एनसःfrom sin

प्रतिमुच्यतेis released; is freed

राजन्O king

Speaker

भीमसेन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīmasena

King (rājan)

Ox (naḍuha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A wrong can be lightened through compassionate, restorative giving: feeding a hardworking, gentle draught-ox to full satiety is presented as a practical act of expiation that counters sin by directly supporting a worthy, burden-bearing creature.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīmasena addresses a king and proposes an alternative means of atonement: instead of other remedies, the king can be freed from the stated offence by offering generous nourishment to a good, load-bearing ox—an ethical gesture emphasizing care for those who serve through labor.