Shloka 39
कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
अर्जुन बोले--भगवन्! बलाक नामक व्याध और नदियोंके संगमपर रहनेवाले कौशिक मुनिकी कथा कहिये, जिससे मैं इस विषयको अच्छी तरह समझ सकूँ ।।
Arjuna uvāca—bhagavan! balāka-nāmaka-vyādhaḥ nadīnāṃ saṅgame vasatā kauśikena muninā saha yā kathā, tāṃ kathaya, yayāham etad viṣayaṃ samyag avagaccheyam. Vāyudeva uvāca—purā vyādho 'bhavat kaścid balāko nāma, bhārata; yātrārthaṃ putra-dārasya mṛgān hanti na kāmataḥ.
阿周那说道：“噢，圣者，请讲述猎人婆罗迦（Balāka）以及住在诸河汇合处的牟尼憍尸迦（Kauśika）的故事，使我能明白此事。” 风神伐由（Vāyu）说道：“在远古之时，噢，婆罗多（Bhārata），有一位名叫婆罗迦的猎人。为了养活并护持妻子与儿女，他猎杀野兽——并非出于欲念或残忍。”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical distinction between harmful action done from desire (kāma) and the same action done under necessity for sustaining dependents (yātrārtha). It prepares a dharma-discussion where intention, motive, and context are crucial for moral evaluation.
Arjuna requests a clarifying exemplum: the story of the hunter Balāka and the sage Kauśika at a river-confluence. Vāyu begins the account by introducing Balāka as a hunter who kills game only to support his wife and children, not for pleasure.