Shloka 35
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
अहो कृच्छूं मया प्राप्तमिति निश्चित्य कौशिक: । पपात भूमौ दौर्बल्यात् तस्मिंश्ञाण्डालपक्कणे,“अहो! यह तो मुझपर बड़ा भारी संकट आ गया।” ऐसा सोचते-सोचते विश्वामित्र अत्यन्त दुर्बलताके कारण वहीं एक चाण्डालके घरमें पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े
aho kṛcchraṁ mayā prāptam iti niścitya kauśikaḥ | papāta bhūmau daurbalyāt tasmiñ cāṇḍālapakkaṇe ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Ay, isang mabigat na kapahamakan ang dumating sa akin,”—sa gayong pasya, si Kauśika (Viśvāmitra), dahil sa matinding panghihina, ay bumagsak sa lupa roon mismo, sa tahanan ng isang Caṇḍāla.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and spiritual lesson that greatness is tested under hardship: even a powerful sage can be humbled by suffering and physical weakness, prompting reflection on perseverance, humility, and steadiness in dharma amid adverse conditions.
Viśvāmitra (Kauśika), thinking that a severe संकट (hardship) has come upon him, becomes extremely weak and collapses to the ground in a Caṇḍāla’s dwelling; Bhīṣma narrates this as part of the Shānti Parva’s moral-discursive storytelling.