Shloka 16
Uttanka’s Guru-Śuśrūṣā and the Commission to Retrieve the Maṇikuṇḍalas (उत्तङ्क-गुरुशुश्रूषा तथा मणिकुण्डल-आदेशः)
ततो दिग्वाससं धीमान् मातड़ं मलपड्किनम् | अपश्यत मरौ तस्मिन् श्वयूथपरिवारितम्
tato digvāsasaṃ dhīmān mātaṅgaṃ malapaṅkinam | apaśyata marau tasmin śvayūthaparivāritam ||
于是，那位智者在那片荒漠之地看见一个赤身的贱民（摩唐伽，Mātaṅga），浑身涂满污秽与泥浆，被一群狗围住。
उत्तडुक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical need for discernment: external markers—nudity, filth, low social status—do not by themselves determine inner worth. Dharma requires looking beyond appearances and recognizing that truth or instruction may come from unexpected, socially marginalized sources.
Uttanka, moving through a desert region, encounters a naked Mātaṅga/caṇḍāla figure whose body is smeared with dirt and mud, and who is surrounded by a pack of dogs—an ominous, socially charged meeting that sets up a test of perception and conduct.