Shloka 7
नलदमयन्त्युपाख्यानम्—नलप्रशंसा हंसदूतवृत्तान्तः
Nala–Damayantī Upākhyāna: Praise of Nala and the Swan-Messenger Episode
रुरून् कृष्णमृगांश्वैव मेध्यांश्वान्यान् वनेचरान् । बाणैरुन्मथ्य विविधैर््राह्रणेभ्यो न्न्यवेदयत्,वे रुरुमृग, कृष्णममृग तथा अन्य जो मेध्य (पवित्र): हिंसक वनजन्तु थे, उन सबको विविध बाणोंद्वारा मारकर उनके चर्म ब्राह्मणोंको आसनादि बनानेके लिये अर्पित कर देते थे
rurūn kṛṣṇamṛgāṃś caiva medhyān anyān vane-carān | bāṇair unmathya vividhair brāhmaṇebhyo nyavedayat ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。彼はさまざまな矢をもって、ルル鹿、黒羚羊（くろれいよう）、および聖なる用に適うと見なされる他の森の獣を射倒し、ついで婆羅門たちに献じた。彼らがその皮を祭儀の座具などに用いるためである。ここでの行いは無益な殺生としてではなく、ヴェーダの祭式と婆羅門の戒行を支えるための、規矩にかなった狩猟として語られている。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a dharma-framed distinction between uncontrolled killing and regulated taking of life for sanctioned purposes: hunting is depicted as serving ritual and Brahminical needs (e.g., hides for sacred seats), emphasizing intention, restraint, and social-religious duty rather than mere violence.
The speaker describes a person who kills certain forest animals—ruru-deer, black antelopes, and other ritually acceptable creatures—using different arrows, and then offers them to Brahmins, implying provision of skins and materials for ritual use.