Shloka 23
कण्वोपदेशः—नश्वरबलविवेकः तथा मातलिगुणकेश्याः आख्यानारम्भः
Kaṇva’s Counsel on Impermanent Power; Opening of the Mātali–Guṇakeśī Narrative
नहास्मिन्नाश्रमे युद्ध कुत: शस्त्र कुतो5नृजुः । अन्यत्र युद्धमाकाड्क्ष बहव: क्षत्रिया: क्षितौ
na hāsminnāśrame yuddhaṁ kutaḥ śastraṁ kuto 'nṛjuḥ | anyatra yuddham ākāṅkṣa bahavaḥ kṣatriyāḥ kṣitau ||
Nara y Nārāyaṇa dijeron: «En este eremitorio no hay guerra; ¿cómo, pues, tendrían cabida aquí las armas, y cómo una disposición torcida? Si anhelas batalla, búscala en otra parte: en esta tierra hay muchos kṣatriyas por quienes tu deseo de guerra puede ser satisfecho.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A hermitage is defined by restraint, truthfulness, and peace; violence and the mentality that seeks it do not belong there. Desire for war is to be redirected away from sacred spaces, highlighting the ethical boundary between āśrama-dharma (ascetic discipline) and kṣatriya pursuits.
The speaker (in the narration) conveys a statement from the hermitage context: the resident(s) reject the presence of battle and weapons in the āśrama and advise the war-seeker to go elsewhere, noting that many kṣatriyas exist in the world who can satisfy such a challenge.