Shloka 34
Nahūṣa’s Pride, the Ṛṣi-Borne Palanquin, and the Search for Indra (नहुष-इन्द्राणी-प्रकरणम्)
३३ ॥। अद्भयोडन्नि््रह्यृत: क्षत्रमश्मनो लोहमुत्थितम् । तेषां सर्वत्रगं तेज: स्वासु योनिषु शाम्यति,जलसे अगन्नि, ब्राह्मणसे क्षत्रिय तथा पत्थरसे लोहेकी उत्पत्ति हुई है। इनका तेज सर्वत्र काम करता है। परंतु अपने कारणभूत पदार्थोमें आकर बुझ जाता है
adbhyo 'gnir nirhṛtaḥ kṣatram aśmano loham utthitam | teṣāṃ sarvatragaṃ tejaḥ svāsu yoniṣu śāmyati ||
Des eaux on tire le feu ; du brāhmane naît le kṣatriya ; et de la pierre se produit le fer. La puissance de chacun se répand et agit partout, mais lorsqu’elle revient à sa cause-source, elle s’éteint. Ainsi, le pouvoir est réel et d’une portée immense, mais il demeure dépendant : sa force se trouve contenue lorsqu’elle rencontre son principe d’origine et la juste limite.
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power (tejas) may act widely, but it is not absolute; it is conditioned by its source and proper bounds. The verse uses natural and social analogies to suggest that strength must recognize its origin and limits—an ethical reminder relevant to kingship and conflict.
Śalya is speaking in Udyoga Parva during counsel and deliberation before the great war, offering a reflective analogy: just as fire, kṣatriya power, and iron arise from specific sources and subside when returning to them, so too political and martial force must be understood as dependent and restrainable within dharma.