Shloka 24
भीष्म–जामदग्न्यसंवादः (Amba-prasaṅga and Kurukṣetra Dvandva Declaration) / Bhishma–Jamadagnya Dialogue
ये ते वेदा: शरीरस्था ब्राह्माण्यं यच्च ते महत् । तपश्च ते महत् तप्तं न तेभ्य: प्रहराम्यहम्
ye te vedāḥ śarīrasthā brāhmaṇyaṁ yac ca te mahat | tapaś ca te mahat taptaṁ na tebhyaḥ praharāmy aham ||
Rāma disse: “Os Vedas que habitam na tua própria pessoa, tua grande condição de brâmane e a poderosa austeridade que praticaste — contra isso não aponto minhas flechas. Por reverência ao saber sagrado e ao mérito ascético, não te ferirei de modo a violar a honra devida a um brāhmaṇa eminente.”
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid conflict, one must restrain violence in deference to dharma—honoring sacred learning (Vedas), brahminhood, and ascetic merit, and refusing to attack in a way that desecrates those revered qualities.
Rāma addresses a revered brāhmaṇa-like opponent and declares that he will not aim his weapons at the opponent’s sanctity—his embodied Vedic learning, brahmin status, and accumulated tapas—thus framing the encounter within ethical limits.