Shloka 23
आरण्यकपर्वणि अध्यायः २१६ — इन्द्र-स्कन्द-संमुखता वज्रप्रहारश्च
Indra approaches Skanda; vajra strike and the arising of Viśākha
मैं पूर्वजन्ममें एक श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणका पुत्र और वेदाध्ययनपरायण ब्राह्मण था। वेदांगोंका पारंगत विद्वान् माना जाता था। मैं विद्याध्ययनमें अत्यन्त कुशल था ।।
ātma-doṣa-kṛtair brahman avasthām āptavān imām | kaścid rājā mama sakhā bhṛṅgur veda-parāyaṇaḥ ||
Dijo el cazador: «Oh brāhmaṇa, es por faltas nacidas de mí mismo que he llegado a esta condición presente. Cierto rey—amigo mío—llamado Bhṛṅgu, devoto de los Vedas, estaba relacionado conmigo».
व्याध उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes moral responsibility: one’s present condition can arise from one’s own faults (ātma-doṣa), highlighting karma and self-accountability as central to dharma.
The hunter addresses a Brāhmaṇa and begins explaining his background and how he reached his current state, introducing a connection with a certain king named Bhṛṅgu who is described as devoted to the Vedas.