Shloka 7
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
अतित्तिक्षु: पुत्रपौत्राननुक्रोशान् नराधिप । कथमापत्सु वर्तेत तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह,नरेश्वर! पितामह! यदि ब्राह्मण ऐसी आपत्तिके समय दयावश अपने पुत्र-पौत्रोंका परित्याग करना न चाहे तो वह कैसे जीविका चलावे, यह मुझे बतानेकी कृपा करें
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: Atitikṣuḥ putra-pautrān anukrośān narādhipa, katham āpatsu varteta tan me brūhi pitāmaha, nareśvara!
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Ó governante dos homens, se alguém—por compaixão—não consegue abandonar seus filhos e netos, como deve conduzir-se em tempos de calamidade? Avô (Pitāmaha), senhor entre os reis, por favor, diz-me.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical dilemma of āpaddharma: when survival is threatened, how should one balance duty to dependents with the hard demands of crisis. It asks for guidance on righteous conduct when compassion prevents abandoning one’s family.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha) about proper conduct. Here he specifically asks how a person should manage livelihood and behavior during calamity if he cannot forsake his children and grandchildren out of compassion.