Shloka 3
Brāhmaṇa-pūjā and Namaskāra: Criteria of Reverence and Non-Offense (ब्राह्मणपूजा-नमस्कारविधिः)
के च स्मृता: प्रतीघाता येन मर्त्यान् न हिंसथ । रक्षोघ्नानि च कानि स्पुर्यर्गुहिषु प्रणश्यथ । श्रोतुमिच्छाम युष्माकं सर्वमेतन्निशाचरा:,“वे कौन-से प्रतिघात (शत्रुके आघातोंको रोक देनेवाले उपाय) हैं, जिनका आश्रय लेनेसे आपलोग उन मनुष्योंकी हिंसा नहीं करते। वे रक्षोघ्न मन्त्र कौन-से हैं, जिनका उच्चारण करनेसे आपलोग घरमें ही नष्ट हो जायूँ या भाग जायँ? निशाचरो! ये सारी बातें हम आपके मुखसे सुनना चाहते हैं!
ke ca smṛtāḥ pratīghātā yena martyān na hiṃsatha | rakṣoghnāni ca kāni spuryar-guhīṣu praṇaśyatha | śrotum icchāma yuṣmākaṃ sarvam etan niśācarāḥ ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Quais são as contramedidas lembradas pelas quais não feris os seres humanos? E quais são os encantamentos mata‑demônios (rakṣo‑ghna) cuja recitação vos faria perecer dentro das próprias casas — ou fugir? Ó errantes da noite, desejamos ouvir tudo isso de vossas próprias bocas.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry into restraint and protection: it asks what traditional safeguards prevent harm to humans and what protective formulas can neutralize violent forces. It implies that power (even supernatural) is bounded by dharma and can be checked by righteous means.
Bhīṣma addresses night-roaming beings (rākṣasas), questioning them about the countermeasures that stop their attacks on humans and about the specific ‘rakṣoghnā’ mantras that would cause them to be destroyed or driven away from homes, seeking to learn these details directly from them.