Shloka 15
जिह्दया यानि पुरुषस्त्वचा वाप्युपसेवते । तत्र चूर्णानि दत्तानि हन्यु: क्षिप्रमसंशयम्,“उनके दिये हुए चूर्ण ऐसे होते हैं कि उन्हें पति यदि जिह्ला अथवा त्वचासे भी स्पर्श कर ले, तो वे नि:ःसंदेह उसी क्षण उसके प्राण ले लें
jihvayā yāni puruṣas tvacā vāpy upasevate | tatra cūrṇāni dattāni hanyuḥ kṣipram asaṁśayam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Those powders that a man might take in—whether by the tongue or even through contact with the skin—are so lethal that, once administered, they would kill him swiftly, without any doubt.” The statement underscores the grave ethical danger of covert harm: violence that operates through deception and intimacy rather than open confrontation, thereby intensifying the breach of dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral severity of hidden, treacherous violence—harm delivered through seemingly harmless contact—implying a deep violation of dharma because it relies on deception rather than accountable action.
Vaiśampāyana describes the deadly potency of certain administered powders: even minimal exposure—tasting with the tongue or touching the skin—would rapidly cause death, emphasizing the peril of covert poisoning.