Shloka 23

Devanagari script

नहास्मिन्नाश्रमे युद्ध कुत: शस्त्र कुतो5नृजुः । अन्यत्र युद्धमाकाड्क्ष बहव: क्षत्रिया: क्षितौ,नर-नारायण बोले--नृपश्रेष्ठ] हमारा यह आश्रम क्रोध और लोभसे रहित है। इस आश्रममें कभी युद्ध नहीं होता, फिर अस्त्र-शस्त्र और कुटिल मनोवृत्तिका मनुष्य यहाँ कैसे रह सकता है? इस पृथ्वीपर बहुत-से क्षत्रिय हैं, अतः आप कहीं और जाकर युद्धकी अभिलाषा पूर्ण कीजिये

Transliteration

na hāsminnāśrame yuddhaṁ kutaḥ śastraṁ kuto 'nṛjuḥ | anyatra yuddham ākāṅkṣa bahavaḥ kṣatriyāḥ kṣitau ||

Translation

ଏହି ଆଶ୍ରମରେ ଯୁଦ୍ଧ ନାହିଁ—ତେବେ ଏଠାରେ ଶସ୍ତ୍ର କେଉଁଠୁ? କୁଟିଳତା କେଉଁଠୁ? ଯଦି ଯୁଦ୍ଧ ଆକାଙ୍କ୍ଷା, ତେବେ ଅନ୍ୟତ୍ର ଯାଅ; ଏହି ପୃଥିବୀରେ ଅନେକ କ୍ଷତ୍ରିୟ ଅଛନ୍ତି, ସେମାନେ ତୋର ଯୁଦ୍ଧେଚ୍ଛା ପୂରଣ କରିପାରିବେ।

Word by Word

नnot

हindeed/for emphasis

अस्मिन्in this

आश्रमेin the hermitage

युद्धम्battle/war

कुतःwhence?/how then?

शस्त्रम्weapon

कुतःwhence?/how then?

अनृजुःcrooked/not straightforward

अन्यत्रelsewhere

युद्धम्battle/war

आकाङ्क्षdesire/seek

बहवःmany

क्षत्रियाःkshatriyas/warriors

क्षितौon the earth

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

āśrama (hermitage)

kṣatriyas

weapons (śastra)

earth/world (kṣitau)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A hermitage is defined by restraint, truthfulness, and peace; violence and the mentality that seeks it do not belong there. Desire for war is to be redirected away from sacred spaces, highlighting the ethical boundary between āśrama-dharma (ascetic discipline) and kṣatriya pursuits.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker (in the narration) conveys a statement from the hermitage context: the resident(s) reject the presence of battle and weapons in the āśrama and advise the war-seeker to go elsewhere, noting that many kṣatriyas exist in the world who can satisfy such a challenge.