Texts 26-27
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.