Shloka 24
आरण्यकपर्वणि अध्यायः २१६ — इन्द्र-स्कन्द-संमुखता वज्रप्रहारश्च
Indra approaches Skanda; vajra strike and the arising of Viśākha
एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु मृगयां निर्गतो नृप:,ब्रह्म! इसी समय राजा अपने मन्त्रियों तथा प्रधान योद्धाओंके साथ शिकार खेलनेके लिये निकले। उन्होंने एक ऋषिके आश्रमके निकट बहुत-से हिंसक पशुओंका वध किया
etasminn eva kāle tu mṛgayāṃ nirgato nṛpaḥ
At that very time, the king set out for the hunt. Near a sage’s hermitage he killed many fierce animals—an episode that frames royal sport against the ethical tension of violence committed in the vicinity of an ascetic refuge.
व्याध उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets up a moral contrast: royal hunting may be socially permitted for a kṣatriya, yet violence performed near an āśrama highlights the need for restraint and sensitivity to sacred/ascetic spaces—dharma is not only the act, but also its place, motive, and measure.
The speaker (Vyādha) describes a moment when the king goes out hunting and, close to a sage’s hermitage, kills many dangerous animals—an event that typically becomes the narrative trigger for later encounters, admonition, or consequences connected with dharma.