Shloka 4
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
अविश्वस्तेषु सर्वेषु नित्यं भीतेषु पार्थिव । निकृत्या हन्यमानेषु वज्चयत्सु परस्परम्
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
aviśvasteṣu sarveṣu nityaṁ bhīteṣu pārthiva |
nikṛtyā hanyamāneṣu vañcayatsu parasparam ||
యుధిష్ఠిరుడు అన్నాడు—ఓ రాజా! అందరూ అవిశ్వాసులై, నిత్యం భయంతో జీవించి, కపటంతో హతమై, పరస్పరం మోసం చేసుకునే వేళ—అటువంటి నీచకాలంలో బ్రాహ్మణుడు ఏ విధంగా జీవనోపాధి పొందాలి?
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral crisis: when society is ruled by fear, distrust, and treachery, even basic duties become uncertain. It raises the ethical problem of how a brāhmaṇa—ideally committed to non-violence, truth, and restraint—can preserve life without abandoning dharma in a time dominated by adharma.
In Śānti Parva’s discourse on governance and righteousness, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a king and describes a breakdown of social trust and safety—people cheat and kill one another through deceit. He asks what practical means of livelihood remain for a brāhmaṇa when public order and moral norms have collapsed.