Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अरणीसत्ितं॑ चेदं ब्राह्मणाय प्रयच्छत । जिज्ञासार्थ मया होतदाह्ृतं मृगरूपिणा,“यह अरणीसहित मन्थनकाष्ठ उस ब्राह्मणको दे दो। तुम्हारी परीक्षाके लिये ही मैंने मृगका रूप धारण करके इसका हरण किया था

Transliteration

araṇīsahitaṃ cedaṃ brāhmaṇāya prayacchata | jijñāsārthaṃ mayā hy etad āhṛtaṃ mṛgarūpiṇā ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Berikan set penggesek api ini, lengkap dengan araṇi-araṇinya, kepada brāhmaṇa itu. Aku mengambilnya semata-mata untuk menguji kamu—aku menyamar sebagai seekor rusa dan membawanya pergi.”

Word by Word

अरणीसहितम्accompanied by the fire-sticks (arani)

चand

इदम्this

ब्राह्मणायto the brahmin

प्रयच्छतgive (you all), hand over

जिज्ञासार्थम्for the purpose of testing/inquiry

मयाby me

होतत्this (same thing)

आहृतम्brought/taken away

मृगरूपिणाin the form of a deer

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

brāhmaṇa

araṇī (fire-stick set)

mṛga (deer form)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharma as proven through conduct under trial: one should restore what is needed for sacred duty (here, the fire-drill for ritual fire) and respond to apparent loss with integrity, since tests may be designed to reveal one’s ethical steadiness.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker explains that the fire-drill set was deliberately taken away by someone who assumed a deer’s form, not out of malice but to test the recipients; now they are instructed to give the araṇīs to the brāhmaṇa who needs them.