Shloka 66

Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha

Devanagari script

भुक्त्वा तानपि सक्तून्‌ स नैव तुष्टो बभूव ह । उज्छवृत्तिस्तु धर्मात्मा बत्रीडामनुजगाम ह,वह सत्तू खाकर भी ब्राह्मण देवताका पेट न भरा। यह देखकर उज्छवृत्तिधारी धर्मात्मा ब्राह्मण बड़े संकोचमें पड़ गये

Transliteration

bhuktvā tān api saktūn sa naiva tuṣṭo babhūva ha | ucchavṛttis tu dharmātmā brāhmaṇo 'nujagāma ha ||

Translation

แม้กินสักตุนั้นแล้ว เขาก็มิได้อิ่มหนำ ครั้นเห็นดังนั้น พราหมณ์ผู้ทรงธรรมซึ่งดำรงชีพด้วยการเก็บตก ก็เกิดความกระดากและกังวลอยู่ในใจ

Word by Word

भुक्त्वाhaving eaten

तान्those

अपिalso/even

सक्तून्parched grain-flour/roasted barley meal

सःhe

नnot

एवindeed/just

तुष्टःsatisfied/content

बभूवbecame/was

हindeed (particle)

उज्छवृत्तिःone living by gleaning/leftovers (a mendicant mode of living)

तुbut/indeed

धर्मात्माrighteous-souled

बत्रीडाम्Batrīḍā (proper name; reading uncertain)

अनुजगामfollowed

हindeed (particle)

Speaker

पुत्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

putra (the son, narrator/speaker)

brāhmaṇa (the righteous Brahmin living by ucchavṛtti)

saktūn (roasted barley-flour as food)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical pressure of atithi-dharma (duty to a guest): even when one offers what little one has, a righteous person feels responsible if the guest remains unsatisfied, and seeks a dharmic way to respond.

What is happening in the narrative?

A guest eats the offered saktu yet remains hungry. The austere Brahmin, who lives by gleaning, notices this and follows along anxiously, implying he is searching for a way to provide further help despite limited means.