Shloka 5
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 3 — Janamejaya’s Rite, Dhaumya’s Parīkṣā, and Uttanka’s Kuṇḍala Quest (सर्पसत्रप्रस्तावना–गुरुपरीक्षा–उत्तङ्कोपाख्यान)
त॑ माता प्रत्युवाच व्यक्त त्वया तत्रापराद्धं येनास्यभिहत इति,तब माता उससे बोली--“बेटा! अवश्य ही तूने उनका कोई प्रकटरूपमें अपराध किया होगा, जिसके कारण उन्होंने तुझे मारा है”
tā mātā pratyuvāca vyaktaṃ tvayā tatrāparāddhaṃ yenāsyābhihata iti
అప్పుడు తల్లి చెప్పింది—“బిడ్డా! నీవు అక్కడ ఏదో స్పష్టమైన అపరాధం చేసినట్టుంది; అందుకే వారు నిన్ను కొట్టారు.”
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical self-scrutiny: when one suffers harm, one should first consider whether one’s own misconduct (aparādha) provoked it. It reflects a dharmic tendency to interpret events through responsibility and moral causality rather than immediate retaliation.
A son reports being struck, and his mother responds by inferring that he must have committed some clear offence in that situation; she explains the beating as a consequence of that fault.