Shloka 4
त एन॑ मुक्तसंनाहा: प्रार्थयन् जीवितैषिण: । शरण्यमीयु: शरणं तवास्म इति वादिन:,तब वे शत्रु अपने प्राण बचानेके लिये कवच खोलकर उनसे प्रार्थना करने लगे और हम सब प्रकारसे आपके हैं; ऐसा कहते हुए उन शरणदाता नरेशकी शरणमें चले गये
te enam muktasaṃnāhāḥ prārthayan jīviteṣiṇaḥ | śaraṇyam īyuḥ śaraṇaṃ tavāsmi iti vādinaḥ ||
Then those foes, having cast off their armor and longing to preserve their lives, began to plead. Declaring, “We are yours; you are our refuge,” they approached the shelter-giving king for protection—showing how, even amid war, the appeal to refuge and the duty to grant it can override hostility.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the midst of battle, when opponents lay down arms and seek refuge, the moral focus shifts from enmity to protection: surrender (śaraṇāgati) invokes the protector’s dharma, highlighting restraint and the ethical weight of granting shelter.
Nārada describes enemies who, fearing death, remove their armor and approach a king known as a refuge, pleading for their lives and declaring themselves his dependents—an explicit act of surrender intended to secure protection.