Shloka 61

Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)

Devanagari script

विश्वामित्रस्ततो राजन्नित्युक्तो भरतर्षभ । क्षुधार्त: प्रत्युवाचेदं पुनरेव महामुनि:,भरतश्रेष्ठ! नरेश्वर! चाण्डालके ऐसा कहनेपर क्षुधासे पीड़ित हुए महामुनि विश्वामित्रने उसे इस प्रकार उत्तर दिया--

Transliteration

Viśvāmitras tato rājann ity ukto bharatarṣabha | kṣudhārtaḥ pratyuvācedaṃ punar eva mahāmuniḥ ||

Translation

Wahai raja, wahai banteng di antara keturunan Bharata—apabila ditegur demikian, resi agung Viśvāmitra, yang diseksa kelaparan, menjawab sekali lagi.

Word by Word

विश्वामित्रःVishvamitra

ततःthen, thereafter

राजन्O king

इतिthus

उक्तःhaving been spoken to / addressed

भरतर्षभO bull among the Bharatas

क्षुधाby hunger

आर्तःafflicted, distressed

प्रत्युवाचreplied

इदम्this (speech/statement)

पुनःagain

एवindeed, just

महामुनिःthe great sage

Speaker

घपच उवाच

Characters & Entities

Viśvāmitra

Bharatarṣabha (addressed listener, typically the king in narration)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how extreme necessity (hunger) can press even a great ascetic, yet the narrative context urges that responses and choices should still be measured against dharma—testing the balance between bodily survival and ethical restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Someone has spoken to or challenged Viśvāmitra; in response, the sage—suffering from hunger—speaks again, continuing the dialogue that sets up an ethical problem about conduct under distress.