Shloka 90

Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)

Devanagari script

विश्वामित्र उवाच नैवातिपापं भक्ष्यमाणस्य दुष्ट सुरां तु पीत्वा पततीति शब्द: । अन्योन्यकार्याणि यथा तथैव न पापमात्रेण कृतं हिनस्ति,विश्वामित्र बोले--अखाद्य वस्तु खानेवालेको ब्रह्महत्या आदिके समान महान्‌ पातक लगता हो, ऐसा कोई शास्त्रीय वचन देखनेमें नहीं आता। हाँ, शराब पीकर ब्राह्मण पतित हो जाता है, ऐसा शास्त्रवाक्य स्पष्टरूपसे उपलब्ध होता है; अतः वह सुरापान अवश्य त्याज्य है। जैसे दूसरे-दूसरे कर्म निषिद्ध हैं, वैसा ही अभक्ष्य-भक्षण भी है। आपत्तिके समय एक बार किये हुए किसी सामान्य पापसे किसीके आजीवन किये हुए पुण्यकर्मका नाश नहीं होता

Transliteration

Viśvāmitra uvāca: naivātipāpaṃ bhakṣyamāṇasya duṣṭa surāṃ tu pītvā patatīti śabdaḥ | anyonyakāryāṇi yathā tathaiva na pāpamātreṇa kṛtaṃ hinasti ||

Translation

Wika ni Viśvāmitra: “Wala akong nakikitang pahayag sa śāstra na ang pagkain lamang ng ipinagbabawal ay nagiging sukdulang kasalanan na kasingbigat ng pagpatay sa Brahmin at iba pang gayon. Ngunit may malinaw na utos na ang isang Brāhmaṇa ay bumabagsak sa kanyang katayuan kapag uminom ng alak na surā; kaya ang pag-inom ng surā ay tiyak na dapat talikdan. Gaya ng iba’t ibang gawaing ipinagbabawal sa kani-kaniyang paraan, gayon din ang pagkain ng di-nararapat kainin. Subalit ang isang karaniwang pagkakamaling nagawa minsan sa oras ng kagipitan ay hindi sumisira sa kabutihang naipon sa buong buhay ng matuwid na gawa.”

Word by Word

विश्वामित्रःViśvāmitra

उवाचsaid

नnot

एवindeed/just

अति-पापम्a very great sin

भक्ष्यमाणस्यof one who is eating

दुष्टम्bad/forbidden (food)

सुराम्liquor

तुbut/however

पीत्वाhaving drunk

पततिfalls (becomes degraded)

इतिthus (quotative)

शब्दःstatement/word (scriptural utterance)

अन्योन्य-कार्याणिmutually distinct acts (various acts)

यथाas/just as

तथाso/in that way

एवindeed/also

नnot

पाप-मात्रेणby mere sin alone

कृतम्done/committed

हिनस्तिdestroys/harms

Speaker

विश्वामित्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

Viśvāmitra

surā (liquor)

Brāhmaṇa (as a social-religious status implied by 'patati')

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Viśvāmitra distinguishes degrees of wrongdoing: drinking liquor is explicitly condemned as causing a Brāhmaṇa’s fall, whereas eating forbidden food is a prohibition but not necessarily an ‘extreme sin’ like brahmin-slaying. He further argues that a one-time, minor lapse in a crisis does not erase a lifetime of accumulated merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

In a discussion on dharma—especially conduct under hardship—Viśvāmitra cites scriptural authority to weigh different prohibitions. He emphasizes that some acts have clearly stated severe consequences (surā-drinking), while others, though forbidden, should be judged with proportionality, particularly in times of distress.