Shloka 84

Devanagari script

चाण्डालने कहा--ब्रह्मन! मैं तो आपका हितैषी सुहृद्‌ बनकर ही यह धर्माचरणकी सलाह दे रहा हूँ; क्योंकि आपपर मुझे दया आ रही है। यह जो कल्याणकी बात बता रहा हूँ, इसे आप ग्रहण करें। लोभवश पाप न करें ।। विश्वामित्र उवाच सुहन्मे त्वं सुखेप्सुश्वेदापदो मां समुद्धर । जाने5हं धर्मतो55त्मानं शौनीमुत्सूज जाघनीम्‌,विश्वामित्र बोले--भैया! यदि तुम मेरे हितैषी सूह॒द्‌ हो और मुझे सुख देना चाहते हो तो इस विपत्तिसे मेरा उद्धार करो। मैं अपने धर्मको जानता हूँ। तुम तो यह कुत्तेकी जाँघ मुझे दे दो

Transliteration

Viśvāmitra uvāca: su-hṛn me tvaṁ sukhepsuḥ ced āpado māṁ samuddhara | jāne 'haṁ dharmato 'tmānaṁ śaunīm utsṛja jāghanim ||

Translation

毗湿瓦密多罗说道：“若你真是为我着想的善友，愿我得安乐，就当救我脱离此厄。我的本分与于我为正之事，我自知之。故请舍那狗腿之肉，交与我。”

Word by Word

सुहृन्friend, well-wisher

मेof me / my

त्वम्you

सुखेप्सुःdesiring happiness (for me)

वाor / indeed (disjunctive)

अपदःfrom calamity

माम्me

समुद्धरlift up, rescue

जानेI know

अहम्I

धर्मतःaccording to dharma / rightly

आत्मानम्myself

शौनीम्of a dog (canine)

उत्सृजgive up, hand over, let go

जाघनीम्thigh (haunch)

Speaker

विश्वामित्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

Viśvāmitra

dog (śvan/śaunī)

dog’s thigh (jāghanim)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames an ethical tension: in extreme distress one may appeal to friendship and compassion for relief, while still asserting awareness of dharma. It highlights how dharma is negotiated under necessity and how intention (welfare, rescue) is invoked to justify a difficult request.

What is happening in the narrative?

Viśvāmitra, afflicted by hardship (notably hunger in this episode), addresses another person as a friend and asks to be saved from calamity by being given a dog’s thigh—an act normally considered impure—while insisting he understands his own dharma.