Shloka 3
Garuḍa’s Assault on the Devas and the Fire-Barrier (अमृत-रक्षा-युद्धम्)
नचते ब्राह्मणं हन्तुं कार्या बुद्धि: कथंचन । अवध्य: सर्वभूतानां ब्राह्म॒णो हनलोपम:,किंतु तुम्हें किसी प्रकार ब्राह्मणको मारनेका विचार नहीं करना चाहिये; क्योंकि ब्राह्मण समस्त प्राणियोंके लिये अवध्य है। वह अग्निके समान दाहक होता है
na ca te brāhmaṇaṁ hantuṁ kāryā buddhiḥ kathaṁcana | avadhyaḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ brāhmaṇo ’gnilopamaḥ ||
You must not, under any circumstance, entertain the thought of killing a brāhmaṇa. A brāhmaṇa is to be regarded as inviolable by all living beings; he is like fire—capable of burning those who violate this moral boundary.
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a strict dharmic prohibition against killing a brāhmaṇa: one should not even form the intention to do so. It frames the brāhmaṇa as 'avadhya' (inviolable), and warns that violating this boundary brings severe repercussions, likened to being burned by fire.
Pitāmaha is giving counsel and restraint, warning the listener not to contemplate violence against a brāhmaṇa. The statement functions as ethical instruction within the unfolding events of Ādi Parva, emphasizing the gravity of harming a brāhmaṇa and the danger of the resulting fallout.