Shloka 17
यजमानांस्तु तान् दृष्टवा सर्वान् दीक्षानुकर्शितान् । हन्तुमैच्छन्त शैलाभा: खलिनो नाम दानवा:
yajamānāṁs tu tān dṛṣṭvā sarvān dīkṣānukarśitān | hantum aicchanta śailābhāḥ khalino nāma dānavāḥ ||
Bhīṣma sprach: Als sie all jene Opfernden sahen—jeder von ihnen durch die Disziplinen der Weihe (dīkṣā) abgemagert—begehrten die Dānavas namens Khalin, deren Leiber Bergen glichen, sie zu erschlagen. Die Begebenheit zeigt, wie Wesen, die durch heilige Gelübde geschwächt sind, zum Ziel des adharma werden können, und wie Gewalt gegen ein yajña als schwere moralische Verfehlung gilt, die Konflikt heraufbeschwört.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Harming those engaged in yajña and weakened by dīkṣā is portrayed as adharma; sacred observance deserves protection, and aggression against it becomes a moral fault that precipitates justified resistance and wider conflict.
The Dānavas called Khalin see the sacrificers (devas/ritual performers) grown thin from consecration vows and decide to kill them, setting the stage for a clash between opposing forces over the integrity of the sacrifice.