Shloka 8
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण एवं विभिन्न महर्षियोंका युधिष्ठिरको उपदेश वाल्मीकिश्नाह भगवान् युधिष्ठटिरमिदं वच: । विवादे साग्निमुनिभिर्त्रह्मघ्नो वै भवानिति
Vaiśampāyana uvāca | Vālmīkiś ca mahābhāgo bhagavān Yudhiṣṭhiram idaṃ vacaḥ | Vivāde sa Agnimunibhir brahma-ghno vai bhavān iti ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: El venerable y resplandeciente Vālmīki se dirigió a Yudhiṣṭhira con estas palabras: «En una disputa con los sabios vinculados a Agni, en verdad se dice que tú eres matador de un brāhmaṇa». La afirmación plantea una acusación de índole moral y jurídica, subrayando el gravísimo peso ético de la brahmahatyā y la necesidad de examinar intención, circunstancias y dharma al juzgar la culpabilidad.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the seriousness of brahmahatyā (killing a brāhmaṇa) as a moral-legal charge and prepares the ground for dharmic analysis: accusations must be weighed carefully, considering context and the standards of righteousness upheld by sages.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the sage Vālmīki speaks to Yudhiṣṭhira, reporting that in a certain dispute involving sages connected with Agni, Yudhiṣṭhira is labeled a ‘brahma-ghna’—a grave allegation that invites further explanation and resolution.