Shloka 24
Adhyaya 3 — The Dharmapakshis’ Past-Life Curse and Indra’s Test of Truthfulness
प्राप्तचेताḥ क्षुधाविष्टो भवन्तं शरणं गतः ।
भक्ष्यार्थो विगतानन्दो दूयमानेन चेतसा ॥
prāptacetāḥ kṣudhāviṣṭo bhavantaṃ śaraṇaṃ gataḥ | bhakṣyārtho vigatānando dūyamānena cetasā ||
संज्ञां प्राप्य क्षुधार्तोऽहं त्वां शरणं समुपागतः। अन्नार्थी हर्षहीनश्च दैन्यदाहेन दह्यते मनः॥
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FAQs
The verse foregrounds a common Purāṇic ethical situation: when a person is overwhelmed by basic suffering (hunger), pride and distraction fall away (prāptacetāḥ), and one turns toward refuge and guidance. It implicitly supports dharmic compassion—those approached for shelter should respond with protection and sustenance, especially when the petitioner is joyless and inwardly tormented.
This verse is not a direct instance of sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita. It functions as narrative framing (ākhyāna) and moral-psychological setup that often precedes or motivates later teachings (dharma) or accounts (vaṃśānucarita/manvantara) in the Purāṇa.
Hunger (kṣudhā) can be read as a symbol of existential lack; the ‘burning mind’ (dūyamāna cetas) signifies tapas-like inner heat produced not by asceticism but by suffering. ‘Taking refuge’ (śaraṇāgati) thus becomes an inward turning from sensory agitation to a higher support—teacher, dharma, or ultimately the divine principle—preparing the ground for transformative instruction.