Shloka 22
अश्वमेधीयस्य हयस्य दक्षिणापश्चिमगमनम् — The Sacrificial Horse’s Southern and Western Circuit
न मे प्रियं महाबाहो यत्ते बुद्धिरियं कृता । प्रतियोद्धुममित्रघ्न भ्रातैव त्वं ममानघ,'शत्रुसूदन! महाबाहु वीर! तुमने जो मुझसे युद्ध करनेका विचार किया, यह मुझे प्रिय नहीं लगा; क्योंकि अनघ। तुम तो मेरे भाई ही हो
na me priyaṃ mahābāho yat te buddhir iyaṃ kṛtā | pratiyoddhum amitraghna bhrātaiva tvaṃ mamānagha |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O mighty-armed one, it does not please me that you have formed this resolve—to fight against me. O slayer of foes, O sinless one, you are truly like a brother to me. To treat one bound by fraternal regard as an enemy violates the ethic of rightful conduct even amid the demands of war.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a warrior context, intention matters: choosing to fight someone bound to you by brotherly regard is ethically troubling. The verse foregrounds restraint and the recognition of kinship as a moral limit within conflict.
The speaker voices displeasure at the other person’s decision to engage in combat against him, addressing the opponent with heroic epithets while reminding him of their fraternal bond (“you are like my brother”).