The Deliverance of King Nṛga and the Warning Against Taking Brāhmaṇa Property
अनुनीतावुभौ विप्रौ धर्मकृच्छ्रगतेन वै । गवां लक्षं प्रकृष्टानां दास्याम्येषा प्रदीयताम् ॥ १९ ॥ भवन्तावनुगृह्णीतां किङ्करस्याविजानत: । समुद्धरतं मां कृच्छ्रात् पतन्तं निरयेऽशुचौ ॥ २० ॥
anunītāv ubhau viprau dharma-kṛcchra-gatena vai gavāṁ lakṣaṁ prakṛṣṭānāṁ dāsyāmy eṣā pradīyatām
我在此事上陷入可怖的法义两难,便谦卑地恳求两位婆罗门:“愿以最上等之牛十万头交换此牛;请将她还给我。我乃无知的仆从,愿二位垂怜,救我脱离此困厄;否则我必堕入污秽地狱。”
This verse shows a person in a dharmic crisis offering substantial charity—excellent cows—as a form of appeasement and attempted atonement.
He was caught in a serious moral predicament and tried to pacify the brāhmaṇas by offering an immense gift, seeking relief from the consequences of his wrongdoing.
When one causes harm or acts wrongly, sincere restitution—paired with humility and responsibility—matters; mere excuses are not enough.