Mahabharata 1.175.25 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 175, Shloka 25
पाण्डवानां पाञ्चालगमनम्
The Pāṇḍavas’ Journey toward Pāñcāla and News of the Svayaṃvara
हियसे त्वं बलाद भद्रे विश्वामित्रेण नन्दिनि । कि कर्तव्यं मया तत्र क्षमावान् ब्राह्म॒णो हाहम्
hriyase tvaṃ balād bhadre viśvāmitreṇa nandini | kiṃ kartavyaṃ mayā tatra kṣamāvān brāhmaṇo hāham ||
Vasiṣṭha berkata: “Wahai yang lemah lembut, Nandinī yang membawa keberkatan, engkau sedang dibawa pergi oleh Viśvāmitra dengan kekerasan semata-mata. Aku mendengar ratapanmu berulang-ulang—namun apakah yang dapat aku lakukan dalam hal ini? Aduhai, aku hanyalah seorang brāhmaṇa yang menahan diri dan memaafkan.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between kṣamā (forbearance) expected of a brāhmaṇa and the immediate demand to resist injustice. Vasiṣṭha frames his restraint as a dharmic disposition, even while acknowledging the wrong of coercion.
Nandinī, Vasiṣṭha’s wondrous cow, is being forcibly taken away by King Viśvāmitra. Hearing her cries, Vasiṣṭha laments his limited response, presenting himself as a patient brāhmaṇa confronted with royal force.
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