Shloka 11

Adhyāya 223: Nāradasya Guṇa-kathana

Catalogue of Nārada’s Virtues

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोवाच मा सम शक्र बलिं हिंसीर्न बलिव॑ंधमहति । न्यायस्तु शक्र प्रष्टव्यस्त्वया वासव काम्यया

Transliteration

brahmovāca mā sma śakra baliṁ hiṁsīr na balivandham arhati | nyāyas tu śakra praṣṭavyas tvayā vāsava kāmyayā ||

Translation

Phạm Thiên nói: “Chớ làm hại Bali, hỡi Śakra; người ấy không đáng bị giết. Trái lại, hỡi Vāsava, nếu ngươi muốn, hãy hỏi người ấy về điều gì là công chính và hợp lẽ.”

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• मा: do not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा

• सम: together/wholly (intensifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्

• शक्र: O Śakra (Indra)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• बलिम्: Bali
• बलिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• हिंसीः: kill/harm
• Type: Verb
• Root: हिंस्
• Form: Imperative, 2nd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• बलिवधम्: the killing of Bali
• बलिवधम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बलिवध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अर्हति: is fit/deserves
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह्
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• न्यायः: justice/right conduct
• न्यायः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: न्याय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• शक्र: O Śakra
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• प्रष्टव्यः: to be asked/inquired about
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रष्टव्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वद्
• Form: Masculine/Feminine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• वासव: O Vāsava (Indra)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासव
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• काम्यया: as desired/according to wish
• काम्यया: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम्य
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

शक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Śakra (Indra, Vāsava)
• Bali

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.