Shloka 35
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
अहो कृच्छूं मया प्राप्तमिति निश्चित्य कौशिक: । पपात भूमौ दौर्बल्यात् तस्मिंश्ञाण्डालपक्कणे
aho kṛcchraṁ mayā prāptam iti niścitya kauśikaḥ | papāta bhūmau daurbalyāt tasmiñ cāṇḍālapakkaṇe ||
毗湿摩说道：“唉，我遭逢了沉重的灾厄！”——如此断定后，憍尸迦（毗湿瓦密多）因极度虚弱，当即在旃陀罗的屋内倒地不起。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and spiritual lesson that greatness is tested under hardship: even a powerful sage can be humbled by suffering and physical weakness, prompting reflection on perseverance, humility, and steadiness in dharma amid adverse conditions.
Viśvāmitra (Kauśika), thinking that a severe संकट (hardship) has come upon him, becomes extremely weak and collapses to the ground in a Caṇḍāla’s dwelling; Bhīṣma narrates this as part of the Shānti Parva’s moral-discursive storytelling.