Shloka 34
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
न च क्वचिदविन्दत् स भिक्षमाणो5पि कौशिक: । मांसमन्नं फलं मूलमन्यद् वा तत्र किउ्चन
na ca kvacid avindat sa bhikṣamāṇo 'pi kauśikaḥ | māṁsam annaṁ phalaṁ mūlam anyad vā tatra kiñcana ||
毗湿摩说道：即便憍尸迦（毗湿瓦密多）四处乞食，也在任何地方都得不到施舍。在那里他一无所获——既无肉食，也无谷粮，无果实，无根茎，更无其他任何食物。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how severe deprivation can confront even great ascetics, turning the search for food into a moral and spiritual test. It frames endurance and steadiness under hardship as part of the ethical discipline associated with tapas and dharma.
Viśvāmitra (called Kauśika) goes from house to house seeking alms, but finds nothing—no meat, grain, fruit, roots, or any other food—indicating an extreme scarcity that sets up the next ethical dilemma in the story.