Shloka 34
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
न च क्वचिदविन्दत् स भिक्षमाणो5पि कौशिक: । मांसमन्नं फलं मूलमन्यद् वा तत्र किउ्चन,विश्वामित्र वहाँ घर-घर घूम-घूमकर भीख माँगते फिरे, परंतु कहीं भी उन्हें मांस, अन्न, फल, मूल या दूसरी कोई वस्तु प्राप्त न हो सकी
na ca kvacid avindat sa bhikṣamāṇo 'pi kauśikaḥ | māṁsam annaṁ phalaṁ mūlam anyad vā tatra kiñcana ||
न च क्वचिदविन्दत् स भिक्षमाणोऽपि कौशिकः । मांसमन्नं फलं मूलमन्यद् वा तत्र किञ्चन ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how severe deprivation can confront even great ascetics, turning the search for food into a moral and spiritual test. It frames endurance and steadiness under hardship as part of the ethical discipline associated with tapas and dharma.
Viśvāmitra (called Kauśika) goes from house to house seeking alms, but finds nothing—no meat, grain, fruit, roots, or any other food—indicating an extreme scarcity that sets up the next ethical dilemma in the story.