Shloka 7
नलदमयन्त्युपाख्यानम्—नलप्रशंसा हंसदूतवृत्तान्तः
Nala–Damayantī Upākhyāna: Praise of Nala and the Swan-Messenger Episode
रुरून् कृष्णमृगांश्वैव मेध्यांश्वान्यान् वनेचरान् । बाणैरुन्मथ्य विविधैर््राह्रणेभ्यो न्न्यवेदयत्,वे रुरुमृग, कृष्णममृग तथा अन्य जो मेध्य (पवित्र): हिंसक वनजन्तु थे, उन सबको विविध बाणोंद्वारा मारकर उनके चर्म ब्राह्मणोंको आसनादि बनानेके लिये अर्पित कर देते थे
rurūn kṛṣṇamṛgāṃś caiva medhyān anyān vane-carān | bāṇair unmathya vividhair brāhmaṇebhyo nyavedayat ||
Vaiśampāyana said: With various arrows he struck down ruru-deer, black antelopes, and other forest-dwelling creatures deemed fit for sacred use, and then presented them to the Brahmins, so their hides might serve as ritual seats and related implements. The deed is shown not as wanton violence, but as regulated hunting undertaken to support Vedic rites and Brahminical observance.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a dharma-framed distinction between uncontrolled killing and regulated taking of life for sanctioned purposes: hunting is depicted as serving ritual and Brahminical needs (e.g., hides for sacred seats), emphasizing intention, restraint, and social-religious duty rather than mere violence.
The speaker describes a person who kills certain forest animals—ruru-deer, black antelopes, and other ritually acceptable creatures—using different arrows, and then offers them to Brahmins, implying provision of skins and materials for ritual use.