Shloka 57
Daṇḍa as the Foundation of Social Order (दण्डप्रतिष्ठा)
यथा हि पुरुष: शालां पुन: सम्प्रविशेन्नवाम् । एवं जीव: शरीराणि तानि तानि प्रपद्यते
yathā hi puruṣaḥ śālāṃ punaḥ sampraviśennavām | evaṃ jīvaḥ śarīrāṇi tāni tāni prapadyate
وكما أنّ الرجل يدخل بيتًا مُشيَّدًا حديثًا مرة بعد مرة، كذلك الجِيفا (النفس الفردية) تتقمّص الأجساد تلك الأجساد على التوالي، جسدًا بعد جسد.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the distinction between the enduring jīva and the changing body, using a simple analogy: as one may enter a house repeatedly, the jīva repeatedly takes up successive bodies. This supports an ethical framework where actions have continuing consequences across embodied lives.
Arjuna speaks in a reflective, philosophical register, employing an analogy to clarify how the living self relates to embodiment. The focus is not on battlefield action but on understanding the cycle of taking bodies, a theme central to Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct.