ब्राह्मणस्य वधात्सूत ब्रह्महत्याभिजायते । न ब्राह्मणो दशग्रीवः कथं तद्वद नो मुने
brāhmaṇasya vadhātsūta brahmahatyābhijāyate | na brāhmaṇo daśagrīvaḥ kathaṃ tadvada no mune
Les ṛṣi dirent : « Ô Sūta, c’est en tuant un brāhmaṇa que l’on contracte le péché de brahmahatyā. Or Daśagrīva n’était pas brāhmaṇa ; comment la même accusation pourrait-elle s’appliquer ? Explique-le-nous, ô sage. »
Naimiṣāraṇya sages (Ṛṣis) addressing Sūta
Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya-vāsī ṛṣis
Scene: A circle of forest-dwelling sages in Naimiṣa respectfully question Sūta about the paradox of brahma-hatyā in the Rāma–Rāvaṇa episode; palm-leaf manuscripts, sacrificial fires, and a serene woodland hermitage.
Dharma is subtle: the tradition probes how sin is determined—not only by the act, but by the victim’s status and the deeper circumstances.
The immediate verse is doctrinal; the broader Setukhaṇḍa context relates to Setu/Rāmeśvaram and its sacred narrative frame.
None in this verse; it raises a doctrinal question about brahma-hatyā.