Shloka 25
Āraṇyaka-parva Adhyāya 199: Dharmavyādha on Svakarma, Vidhi, and the Limits of Ahiṃsā
तस्य राजर्षेविधाता तेनैव वेषेण परीक्षार्थभागत इति तस्मिन्नन्तर्हिते अमात्या राजानमूचु: । किं प्रेप्सुना भवता इदमेवं जानता कृतमिति,साक्षात् विधाता ब्राह्मणके वेशमें राजर्षि शिबिकी परीक्षा लेने आये थे। उनके अन्तर्धान हो जानेपर राजाके मन्त्रियोंने उनसे पूछा--“महाराज! आप क्या चाहते हैं? जिसके लिये सब कुछ जानते हुए भी ऐसा दुःसाहसपूर्ण कार्य किया है?”
tasya rājarṣer vidhātā tenaiva veṣeṇa parīkṣārtham āgata iti tasminn antarhite amātyā rājānam ūcuḥ | kiṃ prepsunā bhavatā idam evaṃ jñānatā kṛtam iti |
Vaiśampāyana said: The Creator (Vidhātā), having come in that very disguise to test the royal sage, then vanished from sight. After he disappeared, the king’s ministers addressed the king: “O Majesty, what was it that you sought to attain? For what purpose did you, though fully aware, undertake such a daring deed?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True dharma is shown not by words but by action under pressure: the royal sage’s willingness to perform a perilous deed is framed as a divine test, highlighting that ethical resolve and self-sacrifice are the measures of righteous kingship.
The Creator, having arrived in disguise to test the king, disappears after the test. The ministers then question the king, asking what goal he sought that made him undertake such a bold act despite knowing the risks.