Shloka 456
बक-गौतमाख्यानम् / The Baka–Gautama Account
On Gratitude and Friendship Ethics
ब्रह्मा ददावसिं तीक्षणमधर्मप्रतिवारणम् । इसके बाद ब्रह्माजीने अधर्मका निवारण करनेमें समर्थ वह तीखी तलवार वृषभचिह्नित ध्वजावाले नीलकण्ठ भगवान् रुद्रको दे दी
brahmā dadāv asiṁ tīkṣṇam adharmaprativāraṇam |
Bhishma berkata: Brahmā menganugerahkan sebilah pedang yang tajam—mampu mengekang dan menangkis adharma. Sesudah itu, Brahmā menyerahkan senjata yang tajam itu, yang berkuasa menundukkan ketidakbenaran, kepada Dewa Rudra, Nīlakaṇṭha yang berleher biru, pembawa panji bertanda lembu jantan—agar kekacauan dan kezaliman dapat dibendung serta dharma dipelihara.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimate power and even weaponry are framed as instruments for the restraint of adharma: force is ethically justified here only insofar as it protects dharma and restores moral order, not for personal gain or cruelty.
In Bhishma’s account, Brahmā bestows a sharp sword intended to counter unrighteousness, and then entrusts it to Rudra (Śiva), identified by the blue throat and bull-emblem banner, indicating divine sanction for the protection of cosmic and social order.