Shloka 9
अभिसंधिकृते तस्मिन् ब्राह्मणस्य वधे मया । निष्कृतिं न प्रपश्यामि नृशंसं क्षुद्रमेव च,यदि मैंने जान-बूझकर ब्राह्मणका वध करा दिया तो वह बड़ा ही नीच और क्रूरतापूर्ण कर्म होगा। उससे छुटकारा पानेका कोई उपाय मुझे नहीं सूझता। घरपर आये हुए तथा शरणार्थीका त्याग और अपनी रक्षाके लिये याचना करनेवालेका वध--यह विद्दानोंकी रायमें अत्यन्त क्रूर एवं निन्दित कर्म है
abhisaṃdhikṛte tasmin brāhmaṇasya vadhe mayā | niṣkṛtiṃ na prapaśyāmi nṛśaṃsaṃ kṣudram eva ca ||
The Brahmin said: “If I have deliberately contrived the killing of a Brahmin, it would be a base and brutally cruel deed. I can see no expiation for it. To abandon one who has come to one’s home, to forsake a person seeking refuge, and to kill one who begs for protection—such acts, in the judgment of the learned, are exceedingly cruel and blameworthy.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Premeditated harm—especially the killing of a Brahmin and the betrayal of a guest or refugee—is portrayed as profoundly adharma: cruel, ignoble, and difficult to atone for. The verse foregrounds the ethical duty to protect those who seek shelter and to uphold hospitality.
A Brahmin speaker reflects with remorse and fear of moral consequence, stating that if he has intentionally caused a Brahmin’s death, he sees no clear expiation. He underscores that abandoning a guest or refuge-seeker and killing one who pleads for protection are condemned by the learned.