Shloka 14
Viṣṇor Māhātmya and Indriya-saṃyama (विष्णोर्माहात्म्यं तथा इन्द्रियसंयमः)
ततः स हरिणो गत्वा पदान्यष्टौ न्यवर्तत । साधु हिंसय मां सत्य हतो यास्यामि सद्गतिम्
tataḥ sa hariṇo gatvā padāny aṣṭau nyavartata | sādhu hiṃsaya māṃ satya hato yāsyāmi sadgatim ||
ਫਿਰ ਉਹ ਹਰਣ ਅੱਠ ਕਦਮ ਅੱਗੇ ਜਾ ਕੇ ਮੁੜ ਆਇਆ ਅਤੇ ਬੋਲਿਆ— “ਹੇ ਸਤ੍ਯ! ਵਿਧੀ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ ਮੇਰਾ ਵਧ ਕਰ। ਯੱਗ ਵਿੱਚ ਬਲੀ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਮੈਂ ਸਦਗਤੀ ਨੂੰ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਕਰਾਂਗਾ।”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic tension: violence is ordinarily blameworthy, yet within a sacrificial framework it is presented as ‘proper’ when performed according to rule and intention. It raises ethical questions about duty, ritual authorization, and the belief that a sacrificial death can lead to a higher destiny.
A deer walks forward a short distance, then turns back and addresses Satya, urging him to kill it ‘properly’ so that, as a sacrificial victim, it may attain a blessed state. Nārada is the narrator/speaker of this episode.