Shloka 27
ब्रह्मस्वहरण-निषेधः — Prohibition of Appropriating Brahmin Property
Brahmasva
दत्त्वा शरीर क्रव्याद्धयो रणाग्नौ द्विजहेतुकम् । हुत्वा प्राणान् प्रमोक्षस्ते नान््यथा मोक्षमर्हसि
dattvā śarīra-kravyādbhyo raṇāgnau dvija-hetukam | hutvā prāṇān pramokṣas te nānyathā mokṣam arhasi ||
Kesatria itu berkata: “Jika demi melindungi seorang Brāhmaṇa engkau mempersembahkan tubuhmu sendiri ke dalam api pertempuran dan menyerahkannya kepada makhluk pemakan daging, maka—dengan mengorbankan juga nafas hayatmu—engkau boleh mencapai pelepasan. Dengan cara lain, engkau tidak layak memperoleh pembebasan.”
राजन्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation is linked here to uncompromising dharma: a Kshatriya’s highest ethical act is self-sacrifice in battle undertaken specifically to protect a Brahmin (dvija). The verse frames such death as a yajña-like offering, implying that motive (dvija-hetu) and duty-bound sacrifice are decisive for moksha.
A Kshatriya speaker addresses another person, urging that true release requires offering one’s body and life in the ‘fire of battle’ for the protection of a Brahmin. The imagery treats the battlefield as a sacrificial altar and death as an oblation, while denying liberation through any lesser course.