Shloka 16
Adhyaya 70 — The King Confronts the Rakshasa and Restores the Brahmin’s Wife
राक्षस उवाच न वयं मानुषाहारा अन्ये ते नृप ! राक्षसाः ।
सुकृतस्य फलं यत्तु तदश्नीमो वयं नृप ॥
rākṣasa uvāca na vayaṃ mānuṣāhārā anye te nṛpa rākṣasāḥ | sukṛtasya phalaṃ yat tu tad aśnīmo vayaṃ nṛpa ||
Rākṣasa itu berkata: “Wahai raja, kami bukan pemakan daging manusia—yang demikian itu ialah Rākṣasa yang lain. Kami, wahai raja, hidup dengan apa jua yang merupakan buah kebajikan (sukṛta).”
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FAQs
The verse highlights a disturbing inversion: a rākṣasa claims refinement by rejecting literal cannibalism while still ‘consuming’ merit. It warns that harm can be subtle—attacking dharma and its rewards, not merely bodies.
Primarily Dharmānucarita/Upākhyāna (didactic narrative). It is not directly sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara-vaṃśānucarita in these lines, but serves moral instruction within narrative.
‘Eating the fruit of merit’ can symbolize parasitic appropriation of spiritual capital—when forces of tamas exploit yajña, tapas, or social harmony for their own survival.