Shloka 8
Nārada–Vāyu–Śalmali Upākhyāna: Enmity with the Strong and the Primacy of Buddhi (नारद-वायु-शल्मलि उपाख्यानम्)
समासाद्योपजग्राह पादयो: परिपीडयन्,वहाँ जाकर उन्होंने मुनिके दोनों पैर पकड़ लिये और उन्हें धीरे-धीरे दबाने लगे। ऋषिने वहाँ राजाको देखकर उस समय उनकी बड़ी निन्दा की। वे कहने लगे--अरे! तू तो महान् पापाचारी और ब्रह्महत्यारा है। यहाँ कैसे आया? हमलोगोंसे तेरा क्या काम है? मुझे किसी तरह छूना मत। जा-जा, तेरा यहाँ ठहरना हमलोगोंको अच्छा नहीं लगता
samāsādyopajagrāha pādayoḥ paripīḍayan |
Bhishma said: Having gone up to the sage, he clasped both of the muni’s feet and began gently pressing them. Seeing the king there, the rishi sharply condemned him at once, saying: “Alas, you are a great sinner, a slayer of a brāhmaṇa. How have you come here? What business do you have with us? Do not touch me in any way. Go—go! Your staying here is not pleasing to us.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral authority in the epic is tied to purity and dharma: even gestures of humility (touching a sage’s feet) do not automatically erase grave wrongdoing. Serious sins like brahmahatyā create social and ritual distance, and the offender must seek proper expiation rather than presume immediate acceptance.
A king approaches a sage, grasps and massages the sage’s feet in a gesture of supplication. The rishi, recognizing the king as tainted by a grave sin (brahmahatyā), rebukes him harshly and orders him to leave, refusing contact and hospitality.