Shloka 23
कण्वोपदेशः—नश्वरबलविवेकः तथा मातलिगुणकेश्याः आख्यानारम्भः
Kaṇva’s Counsel on Impermanent Power; Opening of the Mātali–Guṇakeśī Narrative
नहास्मिन्नाश्रमे युद्ध कुत: शस्त्र कुतो5नृजुः । अन्यत्र युद्धमाकाड्क्ष बहव: क्षत्रिया: क्षितौ
na hāsminnāśrame yuddhaṁ kutaḥ śastraṁ kuto 'nṛjuḥ | anyatra yuddham ākāṅkṣa bahavaḥ kṣatriyāḥ kṣitau ||
এই আশ্রমে যুদ্ধ নেই—তবে এখানে অস্ত্র কোথায়, আর কুটিলতা কোথায়? যদি যুদ্ধের আকাঙ্ক্ষা থাকে, তবে অন্যত্র যাও; এই পৃথিবীতে বহু ক্ষত্রিয় আছে, যারা তোমার যুদ্ধ-ইচ্ছা পূর্ণ করতে পারে।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A hermitage is defined by restraint, truthfulness, and peace; violence and the mentality that seeks it do not belong there. Desire for war is to be redirected away from sacred spaces, highlighting the ethical boundary between āśrama-dharma (ascetic discipline) and kṣatriya pursuits.
The speaker (in the narration) conveys a statement from the hermitage context: the resident(s) reject the presence of battle and weapons in the āśrama and advise the war-seeker to go elsewhere, noting that many kṣatriyas exist in the world who can satisfy such a challenge.