Shloka 4
Adhyaya 72 — The Reconciliation Rite, Sarasvati Sacrifice, and the Birth of Uttama Manu (Auttama Manvantara Prelude)
ब्राह्मण उवाच नरेन्द्र ! सा हि विपिने भक्षिताऽऽ श्वनापदैर्यदि ।
अलन्तया किमन्यस्या न पाणिर्गृह्यते त्वया ।
क्रोधस्य वशमागम्य धर्मो न रक्षितस्त्वया ॥
brāhmaṇa uvāca narendra! sā hi vipine bhakṣitā śvanāpadair yadi | alantayā kim anyasyā na pāṇir gṛhyate tvayā | krodhasya vaśam āgamya dharmo na rakṣitas tvayā ||
O brāhmaṇa disse: “Ó senhor dos homens, se ela tivesse sido devorada por feras na floresta, isso bastaria — por que não tomarias a mão de outra? Mas, tendo caído sob o domínio da ira, não protegeste o dharma.”
FAQs
The brāhmaṇa frames anger (krodha) as the real violator of dharma. The passage implies that social/legal remedies (like remarriage) are context-dependent, but rash action driven by anger is adharmic.
Anucarita: didactic dialogue teaching dharma through a concrete domestic-royal dilemma within Manvantara narration.
Forest and beasts can symbolize uncontrolled instincts; the verse suggests that when one believes virtue is ‘devoured,’ one may seek substitution. But when anger rules, discernment is lost—an inner ‘adharma’ regardless of outer justification.