Shloka 20
बकवधोत्तर-प्रशमनम् | Post-slaying Stabilization after Baka’s Death
मुहूर्तमेव तृप्तिश्न भवेद् भ्रातुर्ममैव च । हतैरेतैरहत्वा तु मोदिष्ये शाश्व॒ती: समा:,“मेरे भाईकी बात क्रूरतासे भरी है, अतः मैं कदापि उसका पालन नहीं करूँगी। (नारीके हृदयमें) पतिप्रेम ही अत्यन्त प्रबल होता है। भाईका सौहार्द उसके समान नहीं होता। इन सबको मार देनेपर इनके मांससे मुझे और मेरे भाईको केवल दो घड़ीके लिये तृप्ति मिल सकती है और यदि न मारूँ तो बहुत वर्षोतक इनके साथ आनन्द भोगूगी'
muhūrtam eva tṛptiś ca bhaved bhrātur mamaiva ca | hatair etair ahatvā tu modiṣye śāśvatīḥ samāḥ |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “If these were slain, my brother and I would gain only a momentary satisfaction from their flesh. But if I do not kill them, I shall rejoice for many years in their company. My brother’s counsel is harsh; I will not follow it. In a woman’s heart, love for her husband is strongest—brotherly affection is not its equal.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts fleeting gratification gained through violence with enduring happiness gained through restraint and relationship. It frames an ethical refusal: harsh counsel that promotes killing for immediate benefit is rejected in favor of long-term well-being and fidelity to one’s deepest bond (here, marital love).
Within Vaiśaṃpāyana’s narration, a woman responds to her brother’s cruel proposal to kill certain beings for meat. She argues that such an act would bring only momentary satiation, whereas sparing them allows continued companionship and joy for years, and she prioritizes devotion to her husband over compliance with her brother.