Shloka 8
Raibhya-putrayoḥ satra-vṛttāntaḥ — The Satra Episode of Raibhya’s Sons
Parāvasu and Arvāvasu
इदं कर्म न शक्तस्त्वं वोढुमेक: कथंचन । मया तु हिंसितस्तातो मन्यमानेन त॑ मृगम्,भारत! उसने पिताके समस्त प्रेतकर्म करके पुनः यज्ञमण्डपमें आकर अपने भाई अर्वावसुसे कहा--'भैया! वह यज्ञकर्म तुम अकेले किसी प्रकार निभा नहीं सकते। इधर मैंने हिंसक पशु समझकर धोखेसे पिताजीकी हत्या कर डाली है; इसलिये तात! तुम तो मेरे लिये ब्रह्महत्यानिवारणके हेतु व्रत करो और मैं राजाका यज्ञ कराऊँगा। मुने! मैं अकेला भी इस कार्यका सम्पादन करनेमें समर्थ हूँ"
idaṃ karma na śaktas tvaṃ voḍhum ekaḥ kathaṃcana | mayā tu hiṃsitas tāto manyamānena taṃ mṛgam |
قال لوماشَ: «لن تقدر بحالٍ أن تحمل هذا الطقس وحدك حتى يتمّ. أمّا أنا—إذ ظننته وحشًا بريًّا—فقد ضربتُ أبي فقتلته. فلهذا، يا أخي العزيز، تَحَمَّلْ عنّي نذرَ التكفير الذي يدرأ إثمَ brahmahatyā، وأنا أتولى إقامةَ ذبيحة الملك.»
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between intention and consequence: even an unintended killing (done under mistaken belief) creates a moral-ritual burden that demands expiation. It also stresses shared responsibility in sustaining dharmic rites—some duties should not be borne alone, and wrongdoing must be acknowledged and addressed through prescribed atonement.
A speaker confesses that he has killed his father by mistake, thinking him a wild animal. He tells his brother that the sacrificial work cannot be completed by one person alone, asks the brother to undertake an expiatory vow to remove the taint of brahmahatyā, and offers to continue arranging the king’s sacrifice so the ritual order is not disrupted.