Shloka 18
Adhyāya 12: Devas’ Petition to Nahūṣa; Bṛhaspati on Śaraṇāgata-Dharma; Indrāṇī’s Strategic Delay
नाहमेतत् करिष्यामि गच्छथ्वं वै सुरोत्तमा: । असिमिंश्षार्थे पुरा गीत॑ ब्रह्मणा श्रूयतामिदम्
nāham etat kariṣyāmi gacchathvaṃ vai surottamāḥ | asminn arthe purā gītaṃ brahmaṇā śrūyatām idam, viśeṣataḥ |
Śalya berkata: “Aku tidak akan melakukan ini. Pergilah, wahai para dewa yang utama. Tentang perkara ini, dahulu kala Brahmā pernah melantunkan sebuah ajaran—dengarkanlah.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śalya asserts moral restraint: he will not perform an unrighteous act, and he grounds his stance in authoritative dharmic instruction attributed to Brahmā, indicating that ethical duty overrides pressure or persuasion.
Śalya rejects a proposed course of action and tells the addressed ‘best of the gods’ to leave; he then introduces an ancient doctrinal passage—said to have been sung by Brahmā—promising to recite it as guidance on the issue at hand.