Shloka 20
अरणीसत्ितं॑ चेदं ब्राह्मणाय प्रयच्छत । जिज्ञासार्थ मया होतदाह्ृतं मृगरूपिणा,“यह अरणीसहित मन्थनकाष्ठ उस ब्राह्मणको दे दो। तुम्हारी परीक्षाके लिये ही मैंने मृगका रूप धारण करके इसका हरण किया था
araṇīsahitaṃ cedaṃ brāhmaṇāya prayacchata | jijñāsārthaṃ mayā hy etad āhṛtaṃ mṛgarūpiṇā ||
وَیشَمپایَن نے کہا— “یہ آگ جلانے کی لکڑیاں (ارَنیوں سمیت) اُس برہمن کو دے دو۔ تمہاری آزمائش ہی کے لیے میں نے ہرن کا روپ دھار کر اسے اٹھا لیا تھا۔”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as proven through conduct under trial: one should restore what is needed for sacred duty (here, the fire-drill for ritual fire) and respond to apparent loss with integrity, since tests may be designed to reveal one’s ethical steadiness.
The speaker explains that the fire-drill set was deliberately taken away by someone who assumed a deer’s form, not out of malice but to test the recipients; now they are instructed to give the araṇīs to the brāhmaṇa who needs them.