Shloka 38
Adhyāya 41 — Kṛṣṇa’s Battlefield Briefing and the Renewal of the Great Engagement
।। कदाचित् विजयस्याहमस्त्रहेतोरटन्नूप
kadācit vijayasyāham astrahetoḥ aṭann ūpa, narēśvara, eka-samayakī bāta hai, maiṁ śastrōṁ-kē abhyāsa-kē liye vijaya nāmaka ēka brāhmaṇa-kē āśrama-kē āsapāsa vicaraṇa kara rahā thā. usa samaya ghōra evaṁ bhayaṅkara bāṇa calātē huē maiṁnē ajān mēṁ hī asāvadhānī-kē kāraṇa usa brāhmaṇa-kī hōmadhēnū-kē bacṛē-kō ēka bāṇa-sē māra ḍālā.
Sañjaya disse: “Ó rei, certa vez, enquanto eu vagava perto do eremitério de um brâmane chamado Vijaya para praticar as armas, eu disparava flechas ferozes e terríveis. Na minha ignorância, por pura negligência, com uma única flecha atingi e matei o bezerro da vaca sacrificial (homadhenu) daquele brâmane.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even unintended harm caused by negligence carries moral weight. The verse highlights that martial skill must be governed by vigilance and dharma, especially near sacred spaces and beings protected by religious duty (such as a homadhenu).
Sanjaya recounts an incident from the past: while practicing archery near the hermitage of a Brahmin named Vijaya, he carelessly shoots and kills the calf of the Brahmin’s sacrificial cow with an arrow.