Shloka 22
एकचक्रानिवासे ब्राह्मणगृहदुःखश्रवणम् | Hearing the Brāhmaṇa Household’s Distress at Ekacakrā
“जो शत्रुकी नीति-शास्त्रका अनुसरण करनेवाली बुद्धिको समझ लेता है, वह उसे समझ लेनेपर कोई ऐसा उपाय करे, जिससे वह यहाँ शत्रुजनित संकटसे बच सके ।। अलोहं निशितं शस्त्र शरीरपरिकर्तनम् । यो वेत्ति न तु त॑ घ्नन्ति प्रतिघातविदं द्विष:,“एक ऐसा तीखा शस्त्र है, जो लोहेका बना तो नहीं है, परंतु शरीरको नष्ट कर देता है। जो उसे जानता है, ऐसे उस शस्त्रके आघातसे बचनेका उपाय जाननेवाले पुरुषको शत्रु नहीं मार सकतेः
aloham niśitaṁ śastraṁ śarīra-parikartanam | yo vetti na tu taṁ ghnanti pratighāta-vidaṁ dviṣaḥ ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: “Há uma arma—afiada, não feita de ferro—e, ainda assim, capaz de arruinar o corpo. Mas os inimigos não podem destruir aquele que reconhece essa ‘arma’ e sabe como aparar o seu golpe. Portanto, quem entende a política e os estratagemas do adversário deve, aqui e agora, adotar medidas que o mantenham a salvo dos perigos nascidos dos inimigos.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches strategic discernment: dangers from enemies are not only physical weapons but also subtle, non-material means (policy, intrigue, psychological pressure). One who understands such ‘weapons’ and knows countermeasures cannot be easily destroyed by foes.
Vaiśampāyana, in a didactic passage, explains principles of dealing with hostility: recognize the enemy’s methods and adopt timely protective measures. He illustrates this with the metaphor of a sharp ‘weapon’ not made of iron—suggesting covert or indirect harm—and emphasizes preparedness and counter-strategy.