तामर्जुन उपश्रुत्य कर्हिचित् केशवान्तिके । परेते नवमे बाले ब्राह्मणं समभाषत ॥ २६ ॥ किंस्विद् ब्रह्मंस्त्वन्निवासे इह नास्ति धनुर्धर: । राजन्यबन्धुरेते वै ब्राह्मणा: सत्रमासते ॥ २७ ॥
tām arjuna upaśrutya karhicit keśavāntike parete navame bāle brāhmaṇaṁ samabhāṣata kiṁ svid brahmaṁs tvan-nivāse iha nāsti dhanur-dharaḥ rājanya-bandhur ete vai brāhmaṇāḥ satram āsate
- tām
- that (lamentation)
- arjunaḥ
- Arjuna
- upaśrutya
- happening to hear
- karhicit
- once
- keśava
- of Lord Kṛṣṇa
- antike
- in the proximity
- parete
- having died
- navame
- the ninth
- bāle
- child
- brāhmaṇam
- to the brāhmaṇa
- samabhāṣata
- he said
- kim svit
- whether
- brahman
- O brāhmaṇa
- tvat
- your
- nivāse
- at the home
- iha
- here
- na asti
- there is not
- dhanuḥ-dharaḥ
- holding his bow in his hand
- rājanya-bandhuḥ
- a fallen member of the royal order
- ete
- these (kṣatriyas)
- vaḥ
- indeed
- brāhmaṇāḥ
- (like) brāhmaṇas
- satre
- at a major fire sacrifice
- āsate
- are present
When the ninth child died, Arjuna, who was near Lord Keśava, happened to overhear the brāhmaṇa lamenting. Thus Arjuna addressed the brāhmaṇa: “What is the matter, my dear brāhmaṇa? Isn’t there some lowly member of the royal order here who can at least stand before your house with a bow in his hand? These kṣatriyas are behaving as if they were brāhmaṇas idly engaged in fire sacrifices.