Shloka 11
Adhyāya 223: Nāradasya Guṇa-kathana
Catalogue of Nārada’s Virtues
ब्रह्मोवाच मा सम शक्र बलिं हिंसीर्न बलिव॑ंधमहति । न्यायस्तु शक्र प्रष्टव्यस्त्वया वासव काम्यया
brahmovāca mā sma śakra baliṁ hiṁsīr na balivandham arhati | nyāyas tu śakra praṣṭavyas tvayā vāsava kāmyayā ||
พระพรหมตรัสว่า “อย่าได้ทำร้ายพลีเลย โอ้ศักระ; พลีมิใช่ผู้ควรถูกฆ่า. โอ้วาสวะ! หากเจ้าปรารถนา ก็จงถามเขาเถิดถึงความยุติธรรมและความประพฤติอันสมควร.”
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one has power to punish, dharma requires restraint: violence is not justified against one who is not deserving of death. The right course is to seek nyāya—clarifying what is just—through inquiry rather than impulsive harm.
Brahmā intervenes and counsels Indra (Śakra/Vāsava) regarding Bali. He forbids Indra from killing Bali and instead directs him to question Bali about proper justice and conduct, framing the encounter as an ethical inquiry rather than an act of vengeance.