Shloka 24
Raibhya-putrayoḥ satra-vṛttāntaḥ — The Satra Episode of Raibhya’s Sons
Parāvasu and Arvāvasu
समधीतं मया ब्रह्म व्रतानि चरितानि च | कथं च रैभ्य: शक्तो मामधीयानं तपस्विनम्
samadhītaṃ mayā brahma vratāni caritāni ca | kathaṃ ca raibhyaḥ śakto mām adhīyānaṃ tapasvinam
Lomaśa said: “I have duly studied the sacred Veda, and I have also observed vows and practiced disciplined conduct. How, then, could Raibhya have had the power to harm me—while I was engaged in study and living as an ascetic?”
लोगमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral tension in epic ethics: learning (Vedic study) and disciplined vows are traditionally protective sources of merit, yet harm can still arise through another sage’s power or through complex karmic and interpersonal causes. It invites reflection on humility and the limits of relying solely on one’s austerity or scholarship as a guarantee of safety.
Lomaśa, speaking within the Vana Parva narrative, asserts his credentials—Vedic learning and observance of vows—and questions how the sage Raibhya could have been capable of harming him while he was engaged in sacred study as an ascetic.