Shloka 18
अथैनं ब्राह्मणो5ब्रवीद् य एष ते पुत्रो बृहद्गर्भो नाम एष प्रमातव्य इति तमेनं संस्कुरु अन्न चोपपादय ततोऊहं प्रतीक्ष्य इति । ततः पुत्र प्रमाथ्य संस्कृत्य विधिना साथयित्वा पात्र्यामर्पयित्वा शिरसा प्रतिगृहा ब्राह्मणममृगयत्,“तब इनसे ब्राह्मणने कहा--“यह जो तुम्हारा पुत्र बृहदगर्भ है, इसे मार डालो।” फिर उसका दाह-संस्कार करो। तत्पश्चात् अन्न तैयार करो और मेरी प्रतीक्षा करो।” तब राजाने पुत्रको मारकर उसका दाह-संस्कार कर दिया और फिर विधिपूर्वक अन्न तैयार करके उसे बटलोईमें डालकर (और ढक्कनसे ढककर) अपने सिरपर रख लिया, फिर वे उस ब्राह्यगकी खोज करने लगे
athainaṃ brāhmaṇo ’bravīd ya eṣa te putro bṛhadgarbho nāma eṣa pramātavya iti tam enaṃ saṃskuru annaṃ copapādaya tato ’haṃ pratīkṣya iti | tataḥ putraṃ pramāthya saṃskṛtya vidhinā sādhayitvā pātryām arpayitvā śirasā pratigṛhya brāhmaṇam amṛgayat |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then the brāhmaṇa spoke to him, “This son of yours, named Bṛhadgarbha—he must be put to death. Do the funerary rites for him, and also prepare food; then I will wait.” Thereupon the king killed his son, performed the prescribed rites according to rule, prepared the meal and placed it in a covered vessel, lifted it upon his head in reverence, and went in search of that brāhmaṇa.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds a severe dharma-crisis: obedience to a brāhmaṇa’s command and adherence to ritual procedure are set against the most extreme personal loss. It frames a narrative test in which ‘dharma’ is not emotionally easy, and the story probes the limits and dangers of authority, duty, and moral discernment.
A brāhmaṇa instructs the king to kill his son Bṛhadgarbha, perform the funerary rites, and prepare food while he waits. The king complies: he kills the son, completes the rites according to prescription, prepares the meal in a vessel, carries it on his head, and then searches for the brāhmaṇa.