Shloka 17
अन्यान् बाणान् समीक्षस्व यैस्त्वं मां सूदयिष्यसि । त्वचा बोली--अलर्क! ये बाण किसी प्रकार मुझे अपना निशाना नहीं बना सकते। ये तो तुम्हारा ही मर्म विदीर्ण करेंगे और मर्म विदीर्ण होनेपर तुम्हीं मौतके मुखमें पड़ोगे। मुझे मारनेके लिये तो दूसरी तरहके बाणोंकी व्यवस्था सोचो, जिनसे तुम मुझे मार सकोगे ।। १६ श् “3 तच्छुत्वा स विचिन्त्याथ ततो वचनमब्रवीत्,त्वचाकी बात सुनकर अलर्कने थोड़ी देरतक विचार किया, फिर (श्रोत्रको सुनाते हुए) कहा--
alarka uvāca |
anyān bāṇān samīkṣasva yais tvaṁ māṁ sūdayiṣyasi |
Alarka said: “Consider other arrows—those by which you would be able to strike me down.”
अलर्क उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse, read with its surrounding narration, stresses discernment in choosing means: actions or weapons selected without right understanding can recoil upon the doer, harming one’s own vital interests. Ethical agency requires examining one’s methods, not merely one’s goal.
Alarka is urged to reconsider his choice of arrows—because the ones he intends to use cannot truly strike the intended target and would instead injure him. In response, Alarka speaks, indicating he will look for other means by which he could actually accomplish the act.