Shloka 16
धनी गत्वा कपानाह न वो विदप्रा: प्रियंकरा: । गहीत्वास्त्राण्यतो विप्रान् कपा: सर्वे समाद्रवन्
dhanī gatvā kapān āha—na vo vidprāḥ priyamkarāḥ | gṛhītvā astrāṇy ato viprān kapāḥ sarve samādravan |
Bhishma sprach: Der reiche Mann ging zu den Affen und sagte ihnen: „Die Brahmanen sind nicht geneigt, das zu tun, was euch erfreut.“ Als sie dies hörten, griffen alle Affen zu den Waffen, stürmten gemeinsam vor und fielen über die Brahmanen her.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of inflammatory speech: when grievances are framed as deliberate hostility, they can incite collective violence. It implicitly warns that dharma is harmed when anger and weapons are turned against those traditionally owed protection, such as brahmins.
A wealthy man reports to the monkeys that the brahmins are not willing to please them. Enraged by this message, the monkeys arm themselves and rush to attack the brahmins.