Shloka 64
ऐन्द्रो धर्म: क्षत्रियाणां ब्राह्मणानामथाग्निक: । ब्रह्मवह्निर्मम बल॑ भक्ष्यामि शमयन् क्षुधाम्
aindro dharmaḥ kṣatriyāṇāṃ brāhmaṇānām athāgnikaḥ | brahmavahnirmama balaṃ bhakṣyāmi śamayan kṣudhām ||
Sinabi ni Ghapača: “Para sa mga kṣatriya, ang dharma ay tulad ni Indra—magiting na pamamahala at lakas ng kapangyarihang-hari; para sa mga brāhmaṇa, ito’y ritwal ng apoy—ang disiplina ng banal na apoy. Ako ang ‘apoy ni Brahma’—ang lakas ko’y ang lumamon. Kakain ako upang mapatahimik ang gutom.”
घपच उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts varṇa-specific ideals: kṣatriya dharma is framed as ‘Indra-like’ sovereignty and force, while brāhmaṇa dharma is ‘fire-based’—ritual discipline and sacred restraint. It also shows how a speaker can invoke dharma-language to define (and potentially justify) their own nature and actions.
The speaker identifies himself with a sacred, consuming fire (‘Brahma-fire’) and declares that his power is to devour in order to satisfy hunger. The statement uses the idiom of dharma (role-based duty and sacred power) to present consumption as an inherent function rather than a mere impulse.