Shloka 45
Bhīmasena’s Discourse on Kāla, Resolve, and the Feasibility of Ajñātavāsa (भीमसेनस्य कालोपदेशः)
चरन्तो मृगयां नित्यं शुद्धैर्बाणै्मगार्थिन: । पितृदैवतविप्रेभ्यो निर्वपन्तो यथाविधि,वे प्रतेदिन हिंसक पशुओंको मारनेके लिये शुद्ध (शास्त्रानुकूल) बाणोंद्वारा शिकार खेलते थे एवं शास्त्रकी विधिके अनुसार नित्य पितरों तथा देवताओंको अपना-अपना भाग देते थे अर्थात् नित्य श्राद्ध और नित्य होम करते थे
caranto mṛgayāṃ nityaṃ śuddhair bāṇair mṛgārthinaḥ | pitṛ-daivata-viprebhyo nirvapanto yathā-vidhi ||
Mereka setiap hari menekuni perburuan, mencari buruan dengan anak panah yang murni—yakni yang disahkan oleh śāstra. Dan sesuai tata upacara yang ditetapkan, mereka dengan teratur mempersembahkan bagian yang semestinya kepada para Pitṛ, para dewa, dan para brāhmaṇa—demikianlah mereka tetap menjalankan śrāddha harian dan homa harian meski hidupnya melibatkan kekerasan terhadap hewan.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes necessary or customary violence (hunting) with strict adherence to dharma through daily ritual obligations—offerings to ancestors, gods, and Brahmins—implying that conduct is judged not only by livelihood but also by conformity to śāstric restraint and continual religious duty.
The narrator describes people who regularly roam in the forest hunting game with ‘pure’ (properly sanctioned) arrows, while simultaneously maintaining prescribed daily rites by distributing offerings to the pitṛs, the gods, and Brahmins—i.e., performing daily śrāddha and homa.