Shloka 20
The Deliverance of King Nṛga and the Warning Against Taking Brāhmaṇa Property
अनुनीतावुभौ विप्रौ धर्मकृच्छ्रगतेन वै । गवां लक्षं प्रकृष्टानां दास्याम्येषा प्रदीयताम् ॥ १९ ॥ भवन्तावनुगृह्णीतां किङ्करस्याविजानत: । समुद्धरतं मां कृच्छ्रात् पतन्तं निरयेऽशुचौ ॥ २० ॥
anunītāv ubhau viprau dharma-kṛcchra-gatena vai gavāṁ lakṣaṁ prakṛṣṭānāṁ dāsyāmy eṣā pradīyatām
Achando-me num terrível dilema do dharma, supliquei humildemente aos dois brāhmaṇas: “Em troca desta vaca, darei cem mil vacas excelentes; por favor, devolvam-na a mim. Sou vosso servo ignorante; tende misericórdia e salvai-me desta aflição, ou cairei num inferno impuro.”
FAQs
This verse shows a person in a dharmic crisis offering substantial charity—excellent cows—as a form of appeasement and attempted atonement.
He was caught in a serious moral predicament and tried to pacify the brāhmaṇas by offering an immense gift, seeking relief from the consequences of his wrongdoing.
When one causes harm or acts wrongly, sincere restitution—paired with humility and responsibility—matters; mere excuses are not enough.