Shloka 26
आरण्यकपर्वणि अध्यायः २१६ — इन्द्र-स्कन्द-संमुखता वज्रप्रहारश्च
Indra approaches Skanda; vajra strike and the arising of Viśākha
अथ क्षिप्त: शरो घोरो मयापि द्विजसत्तम । ताडितश्न॒ ऋषिस्तेन शरेणानतपर्वणा,द्विजश्रेष्ठ) तदनन्तर मैंने भी एक भयानक बाण छोड़ा। उसकी गाँठ कुछ झुकी हुई थी। उस बाणसे एक ऋषि मारे गये
atha kṣiptaḥ śaro ghoro mayāpi dvijasattama | tāḍitaś ca ṛṣis tena śareṇānataparvaṇā ||
Then I too released a dreadful arrow, O best of twice-born. Struck by that arrow—whose joint was slightly bent—an ascetic seer was slain. The moment reveals how a single heedless act, driven by impulse, can become a grave moral fault when it harms the innocent and the spiritually venerable.
व्याध उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a moment of rash action can become adharma when it harms an innocent—especially a sage—so restraint, awareness, and accountability are essential to righteous conduct.
The hunter recounts that he shot a frightening arrow; it struck a ṛṣi and caused the sage’s death, setting up the moral weight of unintended or impulsive violence.