Dharmāṅgada’s Discourse (Dharmāṅgadopadeśa) in the Mohinī Episode
श्रूयते वेदवाक्येषु पुत्रं हन्यान्मखस्थितः । अश्वमेघे मखवरे न दोषो जायते नृप ॥ ६६ ॥
śrūyate vedavākyeṣu putraṃ hanyānmakhasthitaḥ | aśvameghe makhavare na doṣo jāyate nṛpa || 66 ||
ヴェーダの聖句に聞くところでは、大王よ、祭式(ヤジュニャ)に臨む者は自らの子をさえ殺し得るという。最上の祭—アシュヴァメーダ—においては、罪過は生じない。
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
The verse highlights the Purāṇic theme that Vedic śruti is the highest authority for ritual dharma, and that acts performed under a valid Vedic injunction within a yajña are judged by dharma-śāstra principles rather than ordinary social ethics.
Indirectly, it contrasts ritual authority with ordinary judgment, preparing the ground for Purāṇic teaching that devotion and dharmic alignment require proper guidance (śāstra and guru). In Narada’s instruction, correct understanding of śāstra ultimately supports higher aims like purification and God-centered living.
It points to Kalpa (the Vedāṅga of ritual procedure) and Mīmāṃsā-style interpretation—how Vedic injunctions define permitted acts in specific sacrificial contexts and how doṣa is assessed within prescribed rites like the Aśvamedha.