Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproof and Vow-Logic: On Dice-Deception, Exile Terms, and the Governance of Anger
Adhyāya 35
अथवानडुहे राजन् साधवे साधुवाहिने | सौहित्यदानादेतस्मादेनस: प्रतिमुच्यते,राजन्! अथवा अच्छी तरह बोझ ढोनेवाले उत्तम बैलको भरपेट भोजन दे देनेपर इस पापसे आपको छुटकारा मिल सकता है
athavā naḍuhe rājan sādhave sādhuvāhine | sauhityadānād etasmād enasaḥ pratimucyate rājan ||
Sinabi ni Bhīmasena: “O kaya, O Hari—sa pagbibigay ng busog na pagkain sa isang mabuting toro, maamo at sanay magdala ng mabibigat na pasan—maaari kang mapalaya sa kasalanang ito. Ang gayong mapagkalingang pagpapakain ay nagsisilbing pagtubos.”
भीमसेन उवाच
A wrong can be lightened through compassionate, restorative giving: feeding a hardworking, gentle draught-ox to full satiety is presented as a practical act of expiation that counters sin by directly supporting a worthy, burden-bearing creature.
Bhīmasena addresses a king and proposes an alternative means of atonement: instead of other remedies, the king can be freed from the stated offence by offering generous nourishment to a good, load-bearing ox—an ethical gesture emphasizing care for those who serve through labor.