Omens and Consolation after Loss; Reaffirmation of the Saindhava Punishment Vow (उत्पात-दर्शनम्, आश्वासन-वाक्यानि, प्रतिज्ञा-स्थैर्यम्)
नाहं हन्यां प्रजा देव स्वस्थाशक्षाक्रोशतीस्तथा । एतदिच्छामि सर्वेश त्वत्तो वरमहं प्रभो,“देव! प्रभो! सर्वेश्वर! मैं आपसे यही वर पाना चाहती हूँ कि मुझे रोती-चिल्लाती हुई स्वस्थ प्रजाओंका वध न करना पड़े
nāhaṃ hanyāṃ prajā deva svasthāś cakrōśatīs tathā | etad icchāmi sarveśa tvatto varam ahaṃ prabho ||
“হে দেৱ! হে প্ৰভু! হে সৰ্বেশ্বৰ! মই প্ৰজাক বধ নকৰোঁ—বিশেষকৈ যিসকল অক্ষত হৈ কান্দি-চিঞৰি আছে। প্ৰভু, আপোনাৰ পৰা মই এই বৰেই বিচাৰোঁ।”
नारद उवाच
Even amid power, duty, or divine command, dharma prioritizes compassion: one should not harm innocent, unharmed beings who plead in fear. The verse frames ethical restraint as a boon worth seeking—self-limitation in violence.
Nārada addresses a supreme deity, requesting a specific boon: that he not be made to kill prajā—living beings/subjects—particularly those who are healthy and crying out. The speech emphasizes moral hesitation and the desire for protection of innocents.