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 ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Le vénérable et illustre Vālmīki s’adressa à Yudhiṣṭhira en ces termes : «Dans un différend avec les sages liés à Agni, on dit en vérité que tu es le meurtrier d’un brāhmaṇa.» Cette parole formule une accusation d’ordre moral et juridique, rappelant le poids redoutable de la brahmahatyā et la nécessité d’examiner l’intention, les circonstances et le dharma pour juger de la faute.
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.