ब्राह्मणो ह्येकपार्श्वेन नरान्रोद्धुमिहार्हति।
न तु मूर्धाभिषिक्तानां विधिः प्रत्युपवेशने॥
brāhmaṇo hy eka-pārśvena narān roddhum ihārhati
na tu mūrdhābhiṣiktānāṁ vidhiḥ pratyupaveśane
brāhmaṇaḥ hi = only a brāhmaṇa; eka-pārśvena = by lying [thus] on one side; narān = against men; roddhum iha arhati = can protest; na tu = there is no; mūrdha-abhiṣiktānām = for coronated kṣatriyas; vidhiḥ = prescription; pratyupaveśane = to protest [in this manner].
“Only a brāhmaṇa can protest against men by lying [thus] on one side. There is no prescription for coronated kṣatriyas to protest [in this manner].1
1 Then what about Rāma Himself performing a similar vow on the bank of the ocean before crossing it? He is a kṣatriya; so how can He perform this vow? There Rāma wanted to appease the demigod of the ocean. To appease them, human beings can perform such austerities. However, among human beings there are certain considerations, such as what is stated in the above verse.
GLOSS. “By lying on one side” means “by lying on one side without turning over.”