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न अहम् एतत् करिष्यामि जीवितार्थी कथं चनna aham etat kariṣyāmi jīvitārthī kathaṃ cana«I will not do this, for the sake of [my own] life, in no way —
ब्राह्मणस्य अतिथेः च एव स्वार्थे प्राणैः वियोजनम्brāhmaṇasya atitheḥ ca eva svārthe prāṇaiḥ viyojanam[I will not allow] the parting of a brahmin and guest from life for the sake of my own gain;
न तु एतत् अकुलीनासु न अधर्मिष्ठासु विद्यतेna tu etat akulīnāsu na adharmiṣṭhāsu vidyatefor even among the lowborn, even among the most impious, there is no [refusal],
यत् ब्राह्मणार्थे विसृजेत् आत्मानम् अपि च आत्मजम्yat brāhmaṇārthe visṛjet ātmānam api ca ātmajamto give, for a brahmin's sake, both oneself and [even] one's son;
ब्राह्मणbrāhmaṇaoriginal form «brāhmaṇa», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नाहम्nāhamoriginal form «nāham», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ब्राह्मणस्यातिथेश्brāhmaṇasyātitheśoriginal form «brāhmaṇasyātitheś», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चैवcaivaoriginal form «caiva», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्राणैर्prāṇairoriginal form «prāṇair», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
त्व्tvoriginal form «tv», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एतद्etadoriginal form «etad», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नाधर्मिष्ठासुnādharmiṣṭhāsuoriginal form «nādharmiṣṭhāsu», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यद्yadoriginal form «yad», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
विसृजेद्visṛjedoriginal form «visṛjed», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चात्मजम्cātmajamoriginal form «cātmajam», added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here the brahmin rejects a salvation bought with another's death. His reasoning is telling: if even the lowly are ready to give their lives for a brahmin, how could he, a brahmin himself, accept life at the price of a guest's death? — nobility is ashamed of what even the worst would not do. Here is the sanctity of the guest (atithi) and the duty of hospitality: one who receives a stranger under his roof answers for him and does not abandon him to misfortune. Reverence for the brahmin here is reverence for the holy and the learned — homage to the bearer of dharma, not to birth alone. Thus the scripture reveals a conscience for which one's own life is no dearer than fidelity to the duty of hospitality.