Shloka 29
Adhyāya 123 — Droṇa’s Pedagogy: Arjuna’s Preeminence, Ekalavya’s Self-Training, and the Bhāsa-Lakṣya Trial
ब्राह्मणानां गवां चैव सुह्दां चार्थसाधकम् | दुर्ददां शोकजननं सर्वबान्धवनन्दनम्
brāhmaṇānāṁ gavāṁ caiva suhṛdāṁ cārthasādhakam | durdadāṁ śokajananaṁ sarvabāndhavanandanam ||
Śakra sprach: „(Diese Tat) trifft Brahmanen und Rinder, ja selbst wohlmeinende Freunde; sie untergräbt, was das wahre Wohl vollbringt. Schwer ist sie aufzugeben, doch gebiert sie Kummer und (für kurze Zeit) erfreut sie alle Verwandten.“
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śakra highlights an ethically dangerous tendency: some actions or attachments may feel family-pleasing and hard to relinquish, yet they harm the vulnerable (Brahmins and cattle), disregard true well-wishers, and ultimately generate grief rather than genuine welfare (artha).
Indra (Śakra), speaking in Adi Parva, warns about a course of conduct whose immediate social approval (especially among relatives) masks its harmful consequences—injury to protected groups and the erosion of what truly leads to well-being—thereby framing a moral evaluation within the ongoing story context.