Shloka 69
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
विश्वामित्र उवाच नदुर्भिक्षे सुलभं मांसमन्यत् श्रुपाक मन्ये नच मे<स्ति वित्तम् क्षुधार्तक्षाहमगतिर्निराश: श्वमांसे चास्मिन् षपड़सान् साधु मन्ये,विश्वामित्र बोले--श्वपाक! सारे देशमें अकाल पड़ा है; अतः दूसरा कोई मांस सुलभ नहीं होगा, यह मेरी दृढ़ मान्यता है। मेरे पास धन नहीं है कि मैं भोज्य पदार्थ खरीद सकूँ, इधर भूखसे मेरा बुरा हाल है। मैं निराश्रय तथा निराश हूँ। मैं समझता हूँ कि मुझे इस कुत्तेके मांसमें ही षबड्रस भोजनका आनन्द भलीभाँति प्राप्त होगा
viśvāmitra uvāca | na durbhikṣe sulabhaṃ māṃsam anyat, śvapāka, manye; na ca me 'sti vittam | kṣudhārta-kṣāmaham agatiḥ nirāśaḥ | śvamāṃse cāsmin ṣaḍrasān sādhu manye ||
Viśvāmitra disse: “Ó pária (cozinheiro de cães), neste tempo de fome estou convencido de que nenhuma outra carne será facilmente obtida. Tampouco tenho riqueza para comprar alimento. Consumido e atormentado pela fome, sem abrigo nem recurso, e despojado de esperança, julgo que mesmo nesta carne de cão posso, com propriedade, alcançar a satisfação de uma refeição plena de ‘seis sabores’.”
विश्वामित्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds an ethical tension central to dharma literature: extreme hunger and famine can press a person toward actions normally prohibited. It frames necessity (āpaddharma) as a context in which survival and the preservation of life may be weighed against ordinary purity rules and social boundaries.
Viśvāmitra, reduced to desperation by a widespread famine and lacking money to buy food, addresses a śvapāka and argues that no other meat is available. He rationalizes that even dog meat can provide the satisfaction of a complete meal, revealing his dire condition and the moral strain of scarcity.