Shloka 32

मधुकैटभवधोपाख्यानम्

The Account of the Slaying of Madhu and Kaiṭabha

Devanagari script

यो दत्त्वातिथिभूतेभ्य: पितृभ्यश्न द्विजोत्तम:

Transliteration

yo dattvātithibhūtebhyaḥ pitṛbhyaśna dvijottamaḥ

Translation

Wika ni Baka: “Yaong pinakadakila sa mga ‘dalawang ulit isinilang’, matapos maghandog ng nararapat sa mga panauhin, sa mga nilalang na may buhay, at sa mga ninuno, saka pa lamang kakain ng kanyang pagkain…”

Word by Word

यःwho

दत्त्वाhaving given

अतिथिभ्यःto guests

भूतेभ्यःto beings/creatures

पितृभ्यःto the ancestors (manes)

अश्नन्eating

द्विजोत्तमःthe best of the twice-born (brahmin)

Speaker

बक उवाच

Characters & Entities

ब

बक (Baka)

अ

अतिथि (guest)

भ

भूत (living beings)

प

पितृ (ancestors/pitṛs)

द

द्विजोत्तम (best of the twice-born)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Before eating, a righteous householder—especially a brāhmaṇa—should first offer food and care to guests, other living beings, and the ancestors. Personal consumption is ethically framed as secondary to one’s obligations of hospitality, compassion, and ritual duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Baka is speaking and begins a normative statement about proper conduct: the ‘best of the twice-born’ is described as one who first gives offerings to guests, creatures, and the pitṛs, and only then eats. The verse functions as a dharma-teaching within the Vana Parva discourse.