Shloka 45
Vyāsa’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira: Pratismṛti-vidyā, Arjuna’s Aśtra-Quest, and the Move to Kāmyaka
कस्त्वं तातेह सम्प्राप्तो धनुष्मान् कवची शरी । निबद्धासितलत्राण: क्षत्रधर्ममनुव्रत:,“तात! तुम कौन हो? जो धनुष-बाण, कवच, तलवार तथा दस्तानेसे सुसज्जित हो क्षत्रियधर्मका अनुगमन करते हुए यहाँ आये हो। यहाँ अस्त्र-शस्त्रकी आवश्यकता नहीं है। यह तो क्रोध और हर्षको जीते हुए तपस्यामें तत्पर शान्त ब्राह्मणोंका स्थान है
kaḥ tvaṃ tāteha samprāpto dhanuṣmān kavacī śarī | nibaddhāsitalatrāṇaḥ kṣatradharmam anuvrataḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Dear boy, who are you that have come here—armed with a bow, wearing armor, bearing arrows, and with a sword and protective gear fastened—one who seems devoted to the warrior’s code? In this place there is no need for weapons. This is the abode of peaceful Brahmins, intent on austerity, having conquered anger and elation.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts kṣatriya readiness for violence with the ascetic ideal of restraint: in a hermitage devoted to tapas, the highest ‘weapon’ is self-mastery—conquering anger and exhilaration—so martial display is out of place.
Vaiśampāyana describes someone arriving at a peaceful ascetic setting fully armed like a warrior. The speaker questions his identity and implicitly admonishes him that this is a place for calm Brahmins engaged in austerity, not a battlefield requiring weapons.