Shloka 22
अलर्कोपाख्यानम् — Indriya-Nigraha and Yogic Victory
Mahābhārata 14.30
चक्षुर॒वाच नेमे बाणास्तरिष्यन्ति मामलर्क कथंचन । तवैव मर्म भेत्स्यन्ति भिन्नमर्मा मरिष्यसि
cakṣur uvāca: neme bāṇās tariṣyanti mām alarka kathaṃcana | tavaiva marma bhetsyanti bhinnamarmā mariṣyasi ||
The Eye said: “Alarka, these arrows will not harm me in any way. Rather, they will strike your own vital spots; once your vulnerable points are pierced, you will die.”
अलर्क उवाच
Educational Q&A
Aggression directed at what is invulnerable or protected can rebound upon the aggressor; ethical restraint is urged by warning that violence often returns as self-destruction.
In a dialogic episode, the personified Eye addresses Alarka, declaring that his arrows cannot injure it; instead, the attack will end by striking Alarka’s own vital points, leading to his death.