Shloka 8
Puṣkara-Tīrtha-Māhātmya and the Phala of Pilgrimage
Nārada–Yudhiṣṭhira; Pulastya–Bhīṣma Transmission
ब्राह्मणार्थे पराक्रान्ता: शुद्धैर्बाणैर्महार था: । निध्नन्तो भरतश्रेष्ठ मेध्यान् बहुविधान् मृगान्,भरतश्रेष्ठ! वे महारथी वीर शुद्ध बाणोंद्वारा ब्राह्मणोंके (बाघम्बर आदिके) लिये पराक्रम करके नाना प्रकारके पवित्र- मृगोंको मारा करते थे
brāhmaṇārthe parākrāntāḥ śuddhair bāṇair mahārathāḥ | nighnanto bharataśreṣṭha medhyān bahuvidhān mṛgān ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O best of the Bharatas, those great chariot-warriors, exerting themselves for the sake of the Brahmins, used their pure arrows to strike down many kinds of ritually fit game animals.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a dharmic framing of force: even an act like hunting becomes ethically intelligible when it is (1) directed toward a sanctioned purpose (supporting Brahmins and ritual needs), and (2) constrained by notions of purity and permissibility (śuddha, medhya). It implies that intention, social duty, and ritual norms shape moral evaluation.
Vaiśampāyana describes great warriors who, using clean/pure arrows, kill various kinds of ritually permissible game animals specifically for Brahmins’ needs—suggesting organized provision (food, skins, or ritual requirements) rather than casual sport.