Shloka 25
आरण्यकपर्वणि अध्यायः २१६ — इन्द्र-स्कन्द-संमुखता वज्रप्रहारश्च
Indra approaches Skanda; vajra strike and the arising of Viśākha
सहितो योधमुख्यैश्न मन्सत्रिभिश्न सुसंवृत: । ततो<भ्यहन् मृगांस्तत्र सुबहूनाश्रमं प्रति
sahito yodhamukhyaiś ca mantribhiś ca susaṃvṛtaḥ | tato 'bhyahan mṛgāṃs tatra subahūn āśramaṃ prati, brahman |
خرج الملك إلى الصيد مصحوبًا بأكابر فرسانه، محاطًا بوزرائه إحاطةً وثيقة. وهناك، قرب صومعةِ ناسكٍ حكيمٍ، صرع كثيرًا من وحوش البرّ. ونداءُ «يا براهمن!» يُضفي على الخبر طابعًا وعظيًّا، مُلمِّحًا إلى التوتر الأخلاقي في لهوٍ ملكيّ يُمارَس بجوار ملجأ الزاهدين.
व्याध उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up an ethical contrast: royal power and the pastime of hunting are shown occurring near an ascetic hermitage, a space associated with restraint and non-violence. By narrating this proximity, the text invites reflection on dharma—how actions acceptable in one role (kṣatriya life) can become questionable when they disturb or disregard sacred/ascetic domains.
A king, escorted by ministers and elite warriors, goes out hunting and kills many wild animals near a sage’s hermitage. The speaker (the hunter/vyādha) recounts this to a Brahmin interlocutor, preparing the ground for a discussion of right conduct and consequences.