Shloka 19
Śama-prāptiḥ — Gautamī–Lubdhaka–Pannaga–Mṛtyu–Kāla-saṃvāda
Restraint through the Analysis of Karma and Time
सचाब्रवीदयं ते स पुत्रहा पन्नगाधम: । ब्रृहि क्षिप्रं महाभागे वध्यतां केन हेतुना,लाकर उसने कहा--“महाभागे! यही वह नीच सर्प है, जिसने तुम्हारे पुत्रको मार डाला है। जल्दी बताओ, मैं किस तरह इसका वध करूँ?
sa cābravīd ayaṃ te sa putrahā pannagādhamaḥ | brūhi kṣipraṃ mahābhāge vadhyatāṃ kena hetunā ||
اور اس نے کہا—“اے معزز خاتون! یہی وہ کمینہ سانپ ہے جس نے تمہارے بیٹے کو مار ڈالا۔ فوراً بتاؤ—کس سبب سے اور کس طریقے سے اسے قتل کیا جائے؟”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames punishment as something that should be grounded in a clear cause (hetu) and deliberate decision, not merely in rage—hinting at the dharmic need to examine motive, means, and justification before taking life.
A speaker identifies a serpent as the killer of a woman’s son and urges her to decide swiftly how and on what grounds the serpent should be slain, setting up a moral inquiry into vengeance versus righteous punishment.