Shloka 143
Śalya Appointed as Karṇa’s Sārathi; Discourse on Praise, Blame, and Beneficial Counsel (कर्णस्य शल्यसारथ्यं तथा स्तवनिन्दाविचारः)
अवध्यं ब्राह्मण मन्ये येन ते विक्रमो हतः । 'जैसे कोई शक्तिशाली पुरुष समुद्रसे नदीके वेगको पीछे लौटा दे
avadhyaṃ brāhmaṇa manye yena te vikramo hataḥ | yathā kaścid balavān puruṣaḥ samudrāt nadī-vegaṃ pratihanyāt, tathāham etad rathaṃ te kṣaṇād eva nivartya neṣyāmi | mama mate brāhmaṇā devatā avadhyāḥ, yaiḥ adya tava parākramaḥ pratihataḥ ||
Disse Sañjaya: “Considero inviolável esse brāhmaṇa, por quem o teu ímpeto marcial foi contido. Assim como um homem poderoso poderia fazer recuar, desde o mar, a corrente impetuosa de um rio, assim também eu, de pronto, farei girar o teu carro e o trarei de volta. A meu ver, os brāhmaṇas são divinos e não podem ser mortos; por eles foi hoje refreado o teu valor.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a dharmic restraint within warfare: brāhmaṇas are regarded as sacrosanct and ‘avadhya’ (not to be slain). Even amid battle, ethical boundaries remain, and violating them is portrayed as spiritually and socially catastrophic.
Sañjaya comments that a brāhmaṇa’s intervention has checked the warrior’s momentum. Using a simile of reversing a river’s surge, he declares he will immediately turn the chariot back, emphasizing that brāhmaṇas are divine and not legitimate targets, and that this is why the hero’s advance has been obstructed.