Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 19
Baka Dālbhya at Avakīrṇa-tīrtha: Rāṣṭra-kṣaya and Release through Prasāda (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 40)
तस्य ते सैनिका राजंश्चक्रुस्तत्रानयात् बहून् । ततस्तु भगवान् विप्रो वसिष्ठो55श्रममभ्ययात्
tasya te sainikā rājan cakrus tatrānayāt bahūn | tatas tu bhagavān vipro vasiṣṭho ’śramam abhyayāt ||
Ô roi, ses soldats commirent là maints actes d’injustice et d’oppression. Alors le vénérable brahmarṣi Vasiṣṭha, ce sage saint, arriva à son ermitage—comme si, après le forfait, venait s’ouvrir l’heure du compte rendu devant le dharma.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical collapse that occurs when armed power acts without restraint—‘anaya’ (injustice) leading to oppression—and contrasts it with the arrival of a revered sage, implying that dharma and moral authority ultimately confront wrongdoing.
The narrator states that certain soldiers committed many injustices at a location. Immediately afterward, the sage Vasiṣṭha arrives at his hermitage, signaling a turning point where the consequences of those misdeeds may be addressed.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.