Shloka 22
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
तानत्ति पुरुष: सर्वान् पश्य कालो यथागतः । प्राणस्यान्नमिदं सर्व जड़मं स्थावरं च यत्,परंतु इन सबको मनुष्य मारकर खा जाता है। देखो, कैसा काल आ गया है? यह सम्पूर्ण चराचर जगत् प्राणका अन्न है
tān atti puruṣaḥ sarvān paśya kālo yathāgataḥ | prāṇasyānnam idaṃ sarvaṃ jaḍaṃ sthāvaraṃ ca yat |
قال أرجونا: «والإنسان يلتهمهم جميعًا—انظروا كيف أتى علينا مثل هذا الزمان. فبالنسبة لذي الروح، يصير هذا العالم كله طعامًا: ما كان جامدًا وما كان ساكنًا. تلك سنّةُ الزمان، حيث تحفظ الحياةُ نفسها باستهلاك الحياة والمادة».
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and existential tension that life is sustained through consumption: under the force of Kāla (Time), beings live by taking other beings or matter as ‘food’. It invites reflection on necessity, restraint, and the inevitability of change and destruction within worldly existence.
Arjuna, speaking in a reflective tone, points out the harsh reality that humans consume other beings and even what is ‘inert’ or ‘immobile’. He frames this as a manifestation of Kāla—suggesting that the prevailing condition of the world compels such acts, prompting ethical contemplation rather than simple approval.