Shloka 24
भीष्म–जामदग्न्यसंवादः (Amba-prasaṅga and Kurukṣetra Dvandva Declaration) / Bhishma–Jamadagnya Dialogue
ये ते वेदा: शरीरस्था ब्राह्माण्यं यच्च ते महत् । तपश्च ते महत् तप्तं न तेभ्य: प्रहराम्यहम्
ye te vedāḥ śarīrasthā brāhmaṇyaṁ yac ca te mahat | tapaś ca te mahat taptaṁ na tebhyaḥ praharāmy aham ||
Wahai brahmana utama! Veda yang bersemayam dalam dirimu, kemuliaan brahmanamu, dan tapa yang dahsyat telah kaujalani—terhadap semua itu aku tidak mengarahkan anak panahku. Demi hormat pada pengetahuan suci dan jasa tapa, aku tidak akan menyerangmu dengan cara yang menodai kehormatan seorang brāhmaṇa terkemuka.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid conflict, one must restrain violence in deference to dharma—honoring sacred learning (Vedas), brahminhood, and ascetic merit, and refusing to attack in a way that desecrates those revered qualities.
Rāma addresses a revered brāhmaṇa-like opponent and declares that he will not aim his weapons at the opponent’s sanctity—his embodied Vedic learning, brahmin status, and accumulated tapas—thus framing the encounter within ethical limits.