Shloka 61
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
विश्वामित्रस्ततो राजन्नित्युक्तो भरतर्षभ । क्षुधार्त: प्रत्युवाचेदं पुनरेव महामुनि:,भरतश्रेष्ठ! नरेश्वर! चाण्डालके ऐसा कहनेपर क्षुधासे पीड़ित हुए महामुनि विश्वामित्रने उसे इस प्रकार उत्तर दिया--
Viśvāmitras tato rājann ity ukto bharatarṣabha | kṣudhārtaḥ pratyuvācedaṃ punar eva mahāmuniḥ ||
“大王啊，婆罗多族中的雄牛啊——被如此劝谏之后，饥饿所迫的大圣毗湿瓦密多又一次开口作答。”
घपच उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extreme necessity (hunger) can press even a great ascetic, yet the narrative context urges that responses and choices should still be measured against dharma—testing the balance between bodily survival and ethical restraint.
Someone has spoken to or challenged Viśvāmitra; in response, the sage—suffering from hunger—speaks again, continuing the dialogue that sets up an ethical problem about conduct under distress.