Shloka 27
Babhruvāhana’s Lament and Appeal for Expiation (प्रायश्चित्त-याचना)
ब्राह्मणा: कुरुमुख्यस्य ये मुक्ता हपसारिण: । कुर्वन्ति शान्तिं कामस्य रणे यो5यं मया हत:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
brāhmaṇāḥ kurumukhyasya ye muktāḥ apasāriṇaḥ |
kurvanti śāntiṃ kāmasya raṇe yo ’yaṃ mayā hataḥ ||
ໄວສັມປາຍະນະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ຜູ້ປະເສີດໃນຫມູ່ກຸຣຸ, ພຣາຫມັນທີ່ຖືກແຕ່ງຕັ້ງໃຫ້ຕິດຕາມຜູ້ນຳແຫ່ງກຸຣຸ (ກະສັດ) ແລະກຳລັງປະກອບພິທີ śānti ເພື່ອສະຫງົບພິບັດ—ພວກເຂົາກຳລັງເຮັດ “ສານຕິ” ແບບໃດໃຫ້ແກ່ຄົນນີ້, ຜູ້ທີ່ຖືກຂ້ອຍສັງຫານໃນສະໜາມຮົບ? (ຖ້າພິທີນັ້ນມີຜົນ ເຫດໃດຄວາມຕາຍນີ້ຈຶ່ງເກີດ?)»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between ritual protection (śānti-karman) and the inexorability of fate/karma in wartime: even when priests perform pacificatory rites for auspicious outcomes, violence and death may still occur, prompting reflection on the limits of ritual versus ethical action and destiny.
In the Aśvamedhika context, priests are described as accompanying the royal enterprise and performing śānti rites. The speaker points out that a person has nevertheless been slain in battle by him, questioning what pacificatory rite was being done for that person if it did not avert the fatal outcome.