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 ||
O kṣatriya disse: “Se, para proteger um brāhmaṇa, ofereceres o teu próprio corpo ao fogo da batalha e assim o entregares às criaturas carnívoras, então—sacrificando até o teu sopro vital—poderás alcançar a libertação. De nenhum outro modo mereces a emancipação.”
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.