Mahabharata 3.39.29 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 39, Shloka 29
Arjuna’s Himalayan Departure and the Commencement of Severe Tapas
Janamejaya’s Inquiry; Sages Approach Śiva
ममैष लक्ष्यभूतो हि मम पूर्वपरिग्रह: । ममैव च प्रहारेण जीविताद् व्यपरोपित:
mamaiṣa lakṣyabhūto hi mama pūrvaparigrahaḥ | mamaiva ca prahāreṇa jīvitād vyaparopitaḥ ||
«A éste lo marqué primero como mi blanco; por ello, el derecho previo sobre él es mío. Y por mi propio golpe fue despojado de la vida.»
किरयात उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts an ethical principle of prior claim: the one who first lawfully targets and accomplishes the deed (here, the killing blow) is entitled to the resulting right/ownership, emphasizing fairness and precedence in disputes.
The Kirāta argues in a dispute over a slain adversary that he had aimed first and that his strike caused the death; therefore, he insists the claim over the fallen being belongs to him rather than to the other party.
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