Shloka 25
एकचक्रानिवासे ब्राह्मणगृहदुःखश्रवणम् | Hearing the Brāhmaṇa Household’s Distress at Ekacakrā
अनाप्तैर्दत्तमादत्ते नर: शस्त्रमलोहजम् | श्वाविच्छरणमासाद्य प्रमुच्येत हुताशनात्,'शत्रुओंके दिये हुए बिना लोहेके बने शस्त्रको जो मनुष्य ग्रहण कर लेता है, वह साहीके बिलमें घुसकर आगसे बच जाता हैं
anāptair dattam ādatte naraḥ śastram alohajam | śvāviccharaṇam āsādya pramucyeta hutāśanāt ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “Ang taong tumatanggap ng sandatang hindi bakal—na ibinigay ng mga hindi dapat pagkatiwalaan—ay tulad ng taong nakarating sa lungga ng porcupine at sa gayon ay nakaligtas sa naglalagablab na apoy.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not accept morally tainted or improperly sourced gifts—especially weapons—from untrustworthy or illegitimate givers. Such acceptance may provide short-term protection, but it is a compromised refuge, not a dharmic safeguard.
Vaiśampāyana delivers a proverbial comparison: accepting a dubious, non-iron weapon from improper persons is likened to escaping a fire by taking shelter in a porcupine’s burrow—an image of immediate escape achieved through an uneasy, questionable shelter.