Shloka 28
अध्याय २८१ — दानधर्मः, न्यायागतधनम्, ऋणत्रय-परिशोधनं च
Dāna ethics, lawful wealth, and settling obligations
भीष्म उवाच तथेति तां प्राह तदा ब्रह्म॒वध्यां पितामह: । उपायत: स शक्रस्य ब्रह्म॒वध्यां व्यपोहत,भीष्मजी कहते हैं--युधिष्ठिर! तब ब्रह्माजीने ब्रह्महत्यासे कहा--“बहुत अच्छा, मैं तुम्हारे रहनेकी व्यवस्था करता हूँ” ऐसा कहकर उन्होंने उपायद्वारा इन्द्रकी ब्रह्महत्याको दूर किया
bhīṣma uvāca | tatheti tāṁ prāha tadā brahmavadhyāṁ pitāmahaḥ | upāyataḥ sa śakrasya brahmavadhyāṁ vyapohat |
Bhīṣma said: “So be it.” Then the Grandfather (Brahmā) addressed the personified sin of brahma-slaughter (brahma-vadhyā) and said, “Very well; I shall arrange a dwelling for you.” Having spoken thus, he removed—by a deliberate expedient—the brahma-slaughter that had attached itself to Śakra (Indra).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the highest authority is accountable to dharma: grave wrongdoing generates a real moral taint (here personified as Brahmavadhyā) that must be addressed through an appropriate, dharma-aligned remedy. The text emphasizes responsibility, expiation, and restoration of order rather than denial of guilt.
Bhīṣma recounts that Brahmā assents and speaks to the personified Brahmavadhyā, promising to arrange a place for her; then, by an expedient method, he removes the brahma-slaughter taint that had come upon Indra (Śakra).