Shloka 23
Adhyāya 168: Arjuna’s counters to māyā-rains and the onset of darkness
Nivātakavaca engagement
स तु मामब्रवीद् राजन् मम पूर्वपरिग्रह: । मृगयाधर्ममुत्स॒ज्य किमर्थ ताडितस्त्वया
sa tu mām abravīd rājan mama pūrva-parigrahaḥ | mṛgayā-dharmam utsṛjya kimarthaṁ tāḍitas tvayā, rājan ||
Alors ce chasseur me dit : «Ô roi, ce sanglier avait déjà été revendiqué par moi comme gibier. Pourquoi l’as-tu frappé, délaissant la juste loi de la chasse, ô roi ?»
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds mṛgayā-dharma—ethical rules even within hunting—especially the principle of respecting a prior claim (pūrva-parigraha) and not violating agreed norms for personal advantage.
Arjuna reports that the Kirāta confronts him after the boar is struck, asserting that the animal was already his quarry and accusing Arjuna of disregarding the proper hunting code by attacking it.