Shloka 14
पाण्डोः प्रेतकार्य-सम्पादनम्
Pāṇḍu’s Funeral Rites and Public Mourning
अगस्त्य: सत्रमासीनश्नकार मृगयामृषि: । आरण्यान् सर्वदेवेभ्यो मृगान् प्रेषन् महावने,महर्षि अगस्त्य एक सत्रमें दीक्षित थे, तब उन्होंने भी मृगया की थी। सभी देवताओंके हितके लिये उन्होंने सत्रमें विघ्न करनेवाले पशुओंको महान् वनमें खदेड़ दिया था। अगस्त्य ऋषिके उक्त हिंसाकर्मके अनुसार (मुझ क्षत्रियके लिये तो) तुम्हारा वध करना ही उचित है। मैं प्रमाणसिद्ध धर्मके अनुकूल बर्ताव करता हूँ, तो भी तुम क्यों मेरी निन्दा करते हो?
agastyaḥ satram āsīnaś cakāra mṛgayām ṛṣiḥ | āraṇyān sarvadevebhyo mṛgān preṣan mahāvane ||
The deer said: “Even the sage Agastya, while seated in a sacrificial session (sattra), once engaged in hunting. For the welfare of all the gods, he drove the forest-dwelling deer away into the great wilderness, since they were causing obstruction to the rite. Therefore, in keeping with that act of violence performed by Agastya, it is proper for me—a kṣatriya—to kill you. When I act in accordance with dharma established by authoritative precedent, why do you still condemn me?”
मृग उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharma debate: whether violence can be justified by precedent and by appeal to ritual or communal welfare. The speaker argues that even revered sages may employ force in exceptional contexts, and that a kṣatriya’s action can be defended as dharma when aligned with accepted authority—yet the moral tension remains, since condemnation can still arise despite scriptural or exemplary justification.
A deer (or one speaking as ‘the deer’) responds to criticism for intending to kill, citing the example of sage Agastya who, during a sacrificial session, drove away deer/forest animals to prevent disruption and for the gods’ benefit. Using this as precedent, the speaker claims that killing in this context is proper and questions why he is being blamed.