Shloka 23
कण्वोपदेशः—नश्वरबलविवेकः तथा मातलिगुणकेश्याः आख्यानारम्भः
Kaṇva’s Counsel on Impermanent Power; Opening of the Mātali–Guṇakeśī Narrative
नहास्मिन्नाश्रमे युद्ध कुत: शस्त्र कुतो5नृजुः । अन्यत्र युद्धमाकाड्क्ष बहव: क्षत्रिया: क्षितौ
na hāsminnāśrame yuddhaṁ kutaḥ śastraṁ kuto 'nṛjuḥ | anyatra yuddham ākāṅkṣa bahavaḥ kṣatriyāḥ kṣitau ||
那罗与那罗延说道：“此修行林中无有战争——既无战争，兵刃何所用？心术之曲又何所容？若汝渴战，当往他处求之：大地之上刹帝利甚多，足以成就汝好战之愿。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A hermitage is defined by restraint, truthfulness, and peace; violence and the mentality that seeks it do not belong there. Desire for war is to be redirected away from sacred spaces, highlighting the ethical boundary between āśrama-dharma (ascetic discipline) and kṣatriya pursuits.
The speaker (in the narration) conveys a statement from the hermitage context: the resident(s) reject the presence of battle and weapons in the āśrama and advise the war-seeker to go elsewhere, noting that many kṣatriyas exist in the world who can satisfy such a challenge.