Shloka 133
अलर्कोपाख्यानम् — Indriya-Nigraha and Yogic Victory
Mahābhārata 14.30
अन्यान् बाणान् समीक्षस्व यैस्त्वं मां सूदयिष्यसि । जिह्दा बोली--अलर्क! ये बाण मुझे किसी प्रकार नहीं छेद सकते। ये तो तुम्हारे ही मर्मस्थानोंको बींधेंगे। मर्मस्थानोंके बिंध जानेपर तुम्हीं मरोगे। अतः दूसरे प्रकारके बाणोंका प्रबन्ध सोचो
anyān bāṇān samīkṣasva yais tvaṃ māṃ sūdayiṣyasi |
“当察他箭——凭之方可真杀我。”随即舌说道：“阿拉尔迦！此箭绝不能穿我；它们只会刺入你自身的要害。要害既伤，死的便是你。故当另作筹谋，备他种箭矢，借其力方能杀我。”
अलर्क उवाच
Educational Q&A
Acting with anger or ignorance can rebound upon oneself; one must examine one’s means and their consequences. The verse, reinforced by the narrative gloss, warns that misdirected violence harms the aggressor by striking his own ‘vital points’—a moral lesson in discernment and responsibility.
Alarka challenges the opponent to identify arrows that could actually kill. The accompanying explanation states that the current arrows cannot pierce the opponent; instead they will wound Alarka’s own marmas, leading to his death, so he is urged to devise a different means if he truly intends to slay.