Shloka 8
Aṣṭāvakra’s Visit to Kubera: Hospitality, Temptation, and the Ethics of Restraint (अष्टावक्र-वैश्रवणोपाख्यानम्)
भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण एवं विभिन्न महर्षियोंका युधिष्ठिरको उपदेश वाल्मीकिश्नाह भगवान् युधिष्ठटिरमिदं वच: । विवादे साग्निमुनिभिर्त्रह्मघ्नो वै भवानिति
Vaiśampāyana uvāca | Vālmīkiś ca mahābhāgo bhagavān Yudhiṣṭhiram idaṃ vacaḥ | Vivāde sa Agnimunibhir brahma-ghno vai bhavān iti ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: O venerável e ilustre Vālmīki dirigiu-se a Yudhiṣṭhira com estas palavras: «Numa disputa com os sábios ligados a Agni, diz-se, de fato, que tu és o matador de um brāhmaṇa.» A afirmação enquadra uma acusação de ordem moral e jurídica, chamando atenção para o peso ético gravíssimo da brahmahatyā e para a necessidade de examinar intenção, circunstâncias e dharma ao julgar a culpabilidade.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the seriousness of brahmahatyā (killing a brāhmaṇa) as a moral-legal charge and prepares the ground for dharmic analysis: accusations must be weighed carefully, considering context and the standards of righteousness upheld by sages.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the sage Vālmīki speaks to Yudhiṣṭhira, reporting that in a certain dispute involving sages connected with Agni, Yudhiṣṭhira is labeled a ‘brahma-ghna’—a grave allegation that invites further explanation and resolution.