Shloka 11
ब्रह्मोवाच मा सम शक्र बलिं हिंसीर्न बलिव॑ंधमहति । न्यायस्तु शक्र प्रष्टव्यस्त्वया वासव काम्यया,ब्रह्माजीने कहा--इन्द्र! तुम बलिका वध न करना, बलि वधके योग्य नहीं है। वासव! तुम उनसे इच्छानुसार न्यायोचित व्यवहारके विषयमें प्रश्न कर सकते हो
brahmovāca mā sma śakra baliṁ hiṁsīr na balivandham arhati | nyāyas tu śakra praṣṭavyas tvayā vāsava kāmyayā ||
Brahmā said: “Do not, O Śakra, harm Bali; he does not deserve to be slain. Rather, O Vāsava, if you wish, you should question him about what is just and proper.”
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one has power to punish, dharma requires restraint: violence is not justified against one who is not deserving of death. The right course is to seek nyāya—clarifying what is just—through inquiry rather than impulsive harm.
Brahmā intervenes and counsels Indra (Śakra/Vāsava) regarding Bali. He forbids Indra from killing Bali and instead directs him to question Bali about proper justice and conduct, framing the encounter as an ethical inquiry rather than an act of vengeance.