Verse 9.321

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

अद्भ्योऽग्निर्ब्रह्मतः क्षत्रमश्मनो लोहमुत्थितम् ।
तेषां सर्वत्रगं तेजः स्वासु योनिषु शाम्यति ॥ ३२१ ॥

adbhyo'gnirbrahmataḥ kṣatramaśmano lohamutthitam |
teṣāṃ sarvatragaṃ tejaḥ svāsu yoniṣu śāmyati || 321 ||

Fire sprang from water, the Kṣatriya from the Brāhmaṇa, and iron from stone; the all-penetrating force of each of these becomes extinguished in its source.—(321)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘From water’—i.e., from herbs anil trees—springs fire; that is why it is named ‘agni.’ The ‘all-penetrating force’ of this is that which burns all that can be burnt; and yet when it reaches water, it becomes extinguished.

‘From stone spiring iron’—in the shape of the sword and other weapons. It tears everything; and yet when it falls on stone it breaks and becomes blunted.

Similarly Kṣatriyas conquer everywhere; but when they behave arrogantly towards the Brāhmaṇa, they are ruined.

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

“According to Rāghavānanda the statement that the Kṣatriyas sprang from the Brāhmaṇas is based on a Vedic passage. But Nārāyaṇa thinks that it alludes to a Paurāṇika story, according to which the Brāhmaṇas produced with the Kṣatriya females a new Kṣatriya race after the destruction of the second varṇa by Paraśurāma.”—Buhler.

This verse is found in the Mahābhārata 5.15.34; 12.56.24.

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 152).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 9.313-322)

See Comparative notes for Verse 9.313.