Shloka 33
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
“मूढ ब्राह्मण! मैंने बारह वर्षोंतक अत्यन्त घोर ब्रह्मचर्यव्रतका पालन करके हिमालयकी घाटीमें रहकर बड़ी भारी तपस्याके द्वारा जिसे प्राप्त किया था
mūḍha brāhmaṇa! mayā dvādaśa-varṣāṇi atyanta-ghora-brahmacarya-vrataṃ pālayitvā himālaya-guhāyāṃ nivasan mahā-tapasā yaḥ prāptaḥ, mamaiva vrata-samācāriṇyā rukmiṇyā devyā garbhāt yasya janma, yasya rūpe sākṣāt tejasvī sanatkumāra eva mama gṛhe avatīrṇaḥ, sa pradyumno mama priyaḥ putraḥ. kintu raṇabhūmau yasya kvacid api tulanā nāsti, etat mama parama-divyaṃ cakraṃ kadācit sa pradyumno 'pi na yācitavān, yad adya tvayā prārthitam. rāmeṇātibalena etan nokta-pūrvaṃ kadācana; na gadena na sāmbena yad idaṃ prārthitaṃ tvayā.
“愚昧的婆罗门啊！我曾严守极其艰苦的梵行誓戒十二年，居于喜马拉雅的幽谷，以大苦行方得一子：他出自誓愿坚定、与我同持戒行的鲁克米妮王后之胎；在他的形体之中，光辉的圣童神萨那特库玛罗仿佛亲自降临我家。那普拉丢姆那是我挚爱的儿子。然而即便是他——战场上无可匹敌——也从未向我索求这至上神圣的神轮，而你今日竟敢求之。就连大力的婆罗罗摩也从未说过这样的请求；伽陀与娑姆婆亦未曾起意想要你所求之物。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even legitimate power and sacred possessions are not to be demanded presumptuously. The passage contrasts humility and restraint within a noble lineage (Pradyumna, Balarāma, Gada, Sāmba) against an improper request, implying that ethical conduct includes knowing what may be asked for and what must be earned or bestowed.
A speaker rebukes a brahmin petitioner for asking for a supremely divine discus. To show the impropriety, he cites that even his most illustrious and battle-peerless son Pradyumna—born of Rukmiṇī and associated with the divine sage Sanatkumāra—never requested it, nor did Balarāma, Gada, or Sāmba.